C++ Without Fear: A Beginner’s Guide That Makes You Feel Smart

Appendix B Intrinsic Data Types

Table B1 lists data types supported by all versions of C++, along with typical ranges. Although the C++ specification itself does not prescribe these ranges (it describes only the relationship among them), they are nearly universal on today’s 32-bit systems. When 64-bit systems become standard, the ranges will need to be revised.

Unsigned types do not store negative numbers, but have a larger positive range. You can use the unsigned keyword by itself; it’s interpreted as unsigned int.

The int type is a little peculiar; it represents the “natural” size of integers on any given computer, as double is the “natural” floating-point type. Expressions of smaller type are converted to one of these formats during integer ...