C data types

What is Data Type in C Programming ?

  1. A Data Type is a Type of Data.
  2. Data Type is a Data Storage Format that can contain a Specific Type or Range of Values.
  3. When computer programs store data in variables, each variable must be assigned a specific data type.

Some of the Data Types Supported by C :

Data Type keyword Description
Integer Data Type int Stores the Integer Value
Float Data Type float Stores the Floating Point Value
Character Data Type char Stores the Single Character Value
Long Data Type long Stores the Long range Integer Value
Double Data Type double Stores the long range Floating Value

Explanation :

  1. Whenever we declare variable in Computer’s memory, Computer must know the type of the data to be stored inside the memory.
  2. If we need to store the single character then the size of memory occupied will be different than storing the single integer number.
  3. The memory in our computers is organized in bytes. A byte is the minimum amount of memory that we can manage in C.
  4. A byte can store a relatively small amount of data one single character or a small integer (generally an integer between 0 and 255).

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Size Required to Store Variable of Different Data Types

Data Type Borland C/C++ Compiler Visual C++
Integer 2 Bytes 4 bytes
Float 4 Bytes 4 Bytes
Character 1 Byte 1 Byte
Long 4 Byte 8 Byte