7.1 The Java Value Type
The Java value type is also known as the primitive data type. Table 7.1 shows the Java primitives.
Variables can be declared as a primitive type. Depending on the scope where they are declared, they must be initialized. For example, you must initialize local method variables as shown here:
int age = 10;
long population = 100000L;
float price = 12.45f;
double count = 6.45d;
Table 7.1. Java Value Types (Primitives)|
Byte | Byte-length integer | 8 bits | Short | Short integer | 16 bits | Int | Integer | 32 bits | Long | Long integer | 64 bits | Float | Single-precision floating point | 32-bit IEEE 754 | Double | Double-precision floating point | 64-bit IEEE 754 | Char | A single character | 16-bit Unicode character | Boolean | A Boolean value | True or false |
Suffixing a float literal with f or F or a long literal with l or L improves the clarity of the code, although it is not required. Primitive data types are passed by value, so changes made to the primitive's value inside a method are local to that method and are not retained after the method call completes.
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