Decimals (float, Double) in C Programming Language

In C programming, decimals or floating-point numbers can be represented using the float and double data types. This tutorial will provide an overview of these data types, how to use them, and how to perform basic arithmetic operations with them.

Declaring and initializing float and double

The float and double data types are used to represent single-precision and double-precision floating-point numbers, respectively. The float data type typically occupies 4 bytes (32 bits) of memory, while the double data type typically occupies 8 bytes (64 bits) of memory. To declare and initialize a floating-point variable, you can use the following syntax:

float f1 = 3.14f;  // Declare and initialize a float variable
double d1 = 3.14;  // Declare and initialize a double variable

Notice the use of the f suffix when initializing a float variable. This tells the compiler that the value is a single-precision floating-point number, rather than the default double-precision.

Reading and displaying float and double

To read and display float and double variables, you can use the scanf and printf functions with the appropriate format specifiers: %f for float and %lf for double.

Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float f2;
    double d2;

    printf("Enter a float value: ");
    scanf("%f", &f2);

    printf("Enter a double value: ");
    scanf("%lf", &d2);

    printf("Float: %f\n", f2);
    printf("Double: %lf\n", d2);

    return 0;
}

Arithmetic operations with float and double

You can perform basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) with float and double variables, just like you would with integers.

Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float f1 = 3.14f;
    float f2 = 2.71f;
    double d1 = 3.14159265;
    double d2 = 2.71828183;

    float f_sum = f1 + f2;
    float f_diff = f1 - f2;
    float f_product = f1 * f2;
    float f_div = f1 / f2;

    double d_sum = d1 + d2;
    double d_diff = d1 - d2;
    double d_product = d1 * d2;
    double d_div = d1 / d2;

    printf("Float sum: %f, difference: %f, product: %f, division: %f\n", f_sum, f_diff, f_product, f_div);
    printf("Double sum: %lf, difference: %lf, product: %lf, division: %lf\n", d_sum, d_diff, d_product, d_div);

    return 0;
}

In summary, the float and double data types in C programming are used to represent decimal or floating-point numbers. You can perform basic arithmetic operations with these data types and use the scanf and printf functions to read and display their values. The main difference between float and double is the precision and memory occupied: float uses single-precision (typically 4 bytes) and double uses double-precision (typically 8 bytes).

Decimal Representation in C Language:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int decimalNumber = 42;
    printf("Decimal number: %d\n", decimalNumber);
    return 0;
}

Precision and Accuracy with float and double in C:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float floatValue = 1.23456789;
    double doubleValue = 1.234567890123456789;

    printf("Float Value: %.7f\n", floatValue);  // Limited precision
    printf("Double Value: %.18f\n", doubleValue);

    return 0;
}

Floating-Point Arithmetic in C Programming:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float result = 1.0 / 3.0;
    printf("Result: %.6f\n", result);
    return 0;
}

C Code Examples with float and double Variables:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float floatValue = 3.14;
    double doubleValue = 3.141592653589793;

    printf("Float Value: %.2f\n", floatValue);
    printf("Double Value: %.6f\n", doubleValue);

    return 0;
}

Comparing float and double in C:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float floatNum = 1.0 / 3.0;
    double doubleNum = 1.0 / 3.0;

    if (floatNum == doubleNum) {
        printf("They are equal.\n");
    } else {
        printf("They are not equal.\n");
    }

    return 0;
}

Handling Decimal Input in C:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float userInput;

    printf("Enter a decimal number: ");
    scanf("%f", &userInput);

    printf("You entered: %.2f\n", userInput);

    return 0;
}

Printf Format Specifiers for float and double in C:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float floatValue = 3.14;
    double doubleValue = 3.141592653589793;

    printf("Float Value: %e\n", floatValue);  // Scientific notation
    printf("Double Value: %g\n", doubleValue);  // Compact notation

    return 0;
}

Floating-Point Errors and Mitigation in C:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    float a = 1.0 / 3.0;
    float b = 0.1 + 0.1 + 0.1;

    if (a == b) {
        printf("They are equal.\n");
    } else {
        printf("They are not equal.\n");
    }

    return 0;
}