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5 Numeric Data Types and Expression Evaluation

In the preceding chapters we have introduced all the basic tools needed to write programs in C: the control constructs and operators of the language, as well as the basic data types for integer, floating point, and character data. Using these basic tools, we have been able to write programs for both numeric processing and non-numeric, character, processing.

In this chapter we will introduce several useful features of C that allow greater flexibility in program writing and allow a greater range of values and precision. We will first take a closer look at integer and floating point data types; their size, and limitations, and will introduce sub-types of integers, and double precision floating point numbers. We will formalize the order of evaluation of operators in expressions as well as the type of the expression value when several data types are are present as operands. We will also introduce several C statements that are possible alternatives for statements already discussed and describe some new operators.

• 5.1 Representing Numbers
  • 5.1.1 Signed and Unsigned Integer Types
  • 5.1.2 Single and Double Precision Floating Point Numbers
• 5.2 New Control Constructs
  • 5.2.1 The for Statement
  • 5.2.2 The do...while Statement
• 5.3 Scalar Data Types
  • 5.3.1 Data Type void
  • 5.3.2 Enumeration
  • 5.3.3 Defining User Types: typedef
• 5.4 Operators and Expression Evaluation
  • 5.4.1 Precedence and Associativity
  • 5.4.2 The Data Type of the Result
  • 5.4.3 Some New Operators
• 5.5 Common Errors
• 5.6 Summary
• 5.7 Exercises
• 5.8 Problems