Data Types and Literals in Java
Introduction to Literals
- Literals: Direct values like
9, 8.
- Types of literals: Integer, Binary, Hexadecimal, Float, Double, Boolean, Char, String.
Integer Literals
- Decimal (Base 10): Standard integers like
9.
- Binary (Base 2): Prefix with
0b, e.g., 0b101 (outputs 5). Example:
int num1 = 0b101;
System.out.println(num1); // prints 5
- Hexadecimal (Base 16): Prefix with
0x, e.g., 0x7E, use X or x. Example:
int num2 = 0x7E;
System.out.println(num2); // prints 126
Underscores in Numeric Literals
- Used for readability with large numbers, e.g.,
1_000_000. Example:
int bigNum = 1_000_000;
System.out.println(bigNum); // prints 1000000
Floating Point Literals
- Double: Automatically converts integers, e.g.,
56. Example:
double num3 = 56;
- Scientific Notation: Use
e, e.g., 1.2e3 for 1.2 * 10^3.*
Boolean Literals
- Only
true or false. Example:
boolean flag = true;
Avoid using 1 or 0 (will cause compilation error).
Character Literals
- Single characters in single quotes, e.g.,
'a'. Example:
char letter = 'a';
- Operations on Characters: Can be treated as integers, incrementing is possible, e.g.,
'a' + 1 results in 'b'. Example:
char letter = 'a';
letter++;
System.out.println(letter); // prints 'b'
String Literals
- Enclosed in double quotes, e.g., "Hello World". Example:
String greeting = "Hello World";
Summary
- Literals are direct values used in the code.
- Different types of literals for different data types.
- Special features like binary, hexadecimal, and scientific notation are supported.
- Use underscores in large numeric literals for better readability.