Exploring C++20: The Programmer's Introduction to C++

© Ray Lischner 2020

R. LischnerExploring C++20https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5961-0_26

26. Big and Little Numbers

Ray Lischner¹ 

(1)

Ellicott City, MD, USA

 

Another common use for overloading is to write functions that work just as well with large and small integers as with plain integers. C++ has five different integer types, ranging in size from 8 bits to 64 bits or larger, with several choices for sizes in between. This Exploration takes a look at the details.

The Long and Short of It

The size of an int is the natural size of an integer on the host platform. For your desktop computer, that probably means 32 bits or 64 bits. Not too long ago, it meant 16 bits or 32 bits. I’ve also used computers with 36-bit and 60-bit integers. In the realm of ...