Introduction to Programming

Widening

The maximum number a numeric type can hold is determined by the number of bits allocated to this type. To remind you, here is the number of bits for each numeric type representation:

• byte: 8 bit
• char: 16 bit
• short: 16 bit
• int: 32 bit
• long: 64 bit
• float: 32 bit
• double: 64 bit

The Java Specification defines 19 widening primitive conversions:

• byte to short, int, long, float, or double
• short to int, long, float, or double
• char to int, long, float, or double
• int to long, float, or double
• long to float or double
• float to double

In widening conversions between integral types and some conversions from integral types to floating-point values, the resulting value remains the same as the original one. But conversion from int to float, or ...