Primitive Type Summary
The table below summarizes Java's primitive types.
| type name | category | size (bits) | size (bytes) | min value | max value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| byte | signed integer | 8 | 1 | -256 | 255 |
| short | signed integer | 16 | 2 | -32,768 | 32,767 |
| int | signed integer | 32 | 4 | -2,147,483,648 | 2,147,483,647 |
| long | signed integer | 64 | 8 | -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 | 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 |
| float | floating-point | 32 | 4 | -3.4028235E38 | 3.4028235E38 |
| double | floating-point | 64 | 8 | -1.7976931348623157E308 | 1.7976931348623157E308 |
| char | unsigned integer | 16 | 2 | 0 | 65,535 |
| boolean | boolean | 8 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
A few notes about the above table:
- The size is how much of the computer's memory a single value of this type requires
- The
chartype represents a single text character, but itchars are stored as integers and will readily convert to anint - The main integer types are listed as signed, which means they can
represent positive and negative numbers (and zero). An unsigned integer type
(such as
char) can only represent positive numbers (and zero). - The notation used for the min/max values of floating-point numbers is a form of scientific notation called "E notation". The E38 means "multiplied by 10^38," and the E308 means "multiplied by 10^308". These are extremely large numbers, which is why we write them with scientific notation.
- The
Stringtype is not a primitive type and does not appear on the table