Primitive Data Types
1. byte:
Byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer.
Minimum value is -128 (-2^7)
Maximum value is 127 (inclusive)(2^7 -1)
Default value is 0
Byte data type is used to save space in large arrays, mainly in place of integers, since a byte is four times smaller
than an int.
Example: byte a = 100, byte b = -50
2. short:
Short data type is a 16-bit signed two's complement integer. Minimum value is -32,768 (-2^15)
Maximum value is 32,767(inclusive) (2^15 -1)
Short data type can also be used to save memory as byte data type. A short is 2 times smaller than an int
Default value is 0.
Example: short s= 10000, short r = -20000
3. int:
int data type is a 32-bit signed two's complement integer.
Minimum value is - 2,147,483,648.(-2^31)
Maximum value is 2,147,483,647(inclusive).(2^31 -1)
Int is generally used as the default data type for integral values unless there is a concern about memory.
The default value is 0.
Example: int a = 100000, int b = -200000
4. long:
Long data type is a 64-bit signed two's complement integer.
Minimum value is -9,223,372,036,854,775,808.(-2^63)
Maximum value is 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 (inclusive). (2^63 -1)
This type is used when a wider range than int is needed.
Default value is 0L.
Example: int a = 100000L, int b = -200000L
5. float:
Float data type is a single-precision 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point.
Float is mainly used to save memory in large arrays of floating point numbers.
Default value is 0.0f.
Float data type is never used for precise values such as currency.
Example: float f1 = 234.5f
6. double:
double data type is a double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point.
This data type is generally used as the default data type for decimal values, generally the default choice.
Double data type should never be used for precise values such as currency.
Default value is 0.0d.
Example: double d1 = 123.4
7. boolean:
boolean data type represents one bit of information.
There are only two possible values: true and false.
This data type is used for simple flags that track true/false conditions.
Default value is false.
Example: boolean one = true
8. char:
char data type is a single 16-bit Unicode character.
Minimum value is '\u0000' (or 0).
Maximum value is '\uffff' (or 65,535 inclusive).
Char data type is used to store any character.
Example: char letterA ='A'
Non-Primitive Data Types
Non-primitive data types are called reference types because they refer to objects.
The main difference between primitive and non-primitive data types are:
Primitive types are predefined (already defined) in Java. Non-primitive types are
created by the programmer and is not defined by Java (except for String).
Non-primitive types can be used to call methods to perform certain operations, while
primitive types cannot.
A primitive type has always a value, while non-primitive types can be null.
A primitive type starts with a lowercase letter, while non-primitive types starts with an
uppercase letter.
The size of a primitive type depends on the data type, while non-primitive types have
all the same size.
Examples of non-primitive types are Strings, Arrays, Classes, Interface, etc. You will learn
more about these in a later chapter.