Primitive Data Types

The Java programming language is statically-typed, which means that all variables must first be declared before they can be used. 


A primitive type is predefined by the language and is named by a reserved keyword. Primitive values do not share state with other primitive values. The eight primitive data types supported by the Java programming language are:

• byte: The byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -128 and a maximum value of 127 (inclusive). The byte data type can be useful for saving memory in large arrays, where the memory savings actually matters. They can also be used in place of int where their limits help to clarify your code; the fact that a variable's range is limited can serve as a form of documentation.
• short: The short data type is a 16-bit signed two's complement integer. It has a minimum value of -32,768 and a maximum value of 32,767 (inclusive). As with byte, the same guidelines apply: you can use a short to save memory in large arrays, in situations where the memory savings actually matters.
• int: By default, the int data type is a 32-bit signed two's complement integer, which has a minimum value of -2³¹ and a maximum value of 2³¹-1. In Java SE 8 and later, you can use theint data type to represent an unsigned 32-bit integer, which has a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 2³²-1. Use the Integer class to use int data type as an unsigned integer. See the section The Number Classes for more information. Static methods like compareUnsigned, divideUnsigned etc have been added to the Integer class to support the arithmetic operations for unsigned integers.
• long: The long data type is a 64-bit two's complement integer. The signed long has a minimum value of -2⁶³ and a maximum value of 2⁶³-1. In Java SE 8 and later, you can use the longdata type to represent an unsigned 64-bit long, which has a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 2⁶⁴-1. Use this data type when you need a range of values wider than those provided by int. The Long class also contains methods like compareUnsigned, divideUnsigned etc to support arithmetic operations for unsigned long.
• float: The float data type is a single-precision 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of values is beyond the scope of this discussion, but is specified in the Floating-Point Types, Formats, and Values section of the Java Language Specification. As with the recommendations for byte and short, use a float (instead of double) if you need to save memory in large arrays of floating point numbers. This data type should never be used for precise values, such as currency. For that, you will need to use the java.math.BigDecimal class instead.Numbers and Strings covers BigDecimal and other useful classes provided by the Java platform.
• double: The double data type is a double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of values is beyond the scope of this discussion, but is specified in the Floating-Point Types, Formats, and Values section of the Java Language Specification. For decimal values, this data type is generally the default choice. As mentioned above, this data type should never be used for precise values, such as currency.
• boolean: The boolean data type has only two possible values: true and false. Use this data type for simple flags that track true/false conditions. This data type represents one bit of information, but its "size" isn't something that's precisely defined.
• char: The char data type is a single 16-bit Unicode character. It has a minimum value of '\u0000' (or 0) and a maximum value of '\uffff' (or 65,535 inclusive).
  
  
  The following chart summarizes the default values for the above data types.

  Data Type	Default Value (for fields)
  byte	0
  short	0
  int	0
  long	0L
  float	0.0f
  double	0.0d
  char	'\u0000'
  String (or any object)	null
  boolean	false

• 
  

Common Observations:

       final int i =100;
        byte b = i;
        System.out.println(b);  // valid prints 100


        /*
        final int x =1000;
        byte y = x;   //compile error
        System.out.println(y);  */


        /*
         int x =100;
        byte y = (byte) x;   //valid
        System.out.println(y); */


        /*int x =100;
        byte y =  x;   //compile error. Nee to cast x --  byte y =  (byte) x
        System.out.println(y); */

        char c = 9;   //valid
        char d = 'A';  //valid
        char e = 0x12; //valid

        int j = 0345;  //valid
   
        System.out.println(1+2f+3d); // print 6.0

        /*final long test = 1;
        byte b1 = test; //compile error
        System.out.println(b1);*/