Double
Data Type

Introduction

In computer science, The double data type is a fundamental data type built into the compiler and used to define numeric variables storing numbers large, high-precision floating-point numbers. The name "double" refers to the fact that it offers double the precision and memory storage compared to the float (single-precision) data type. A double type can represent fractional as well as whole values. It can contain up to 15 digits in total, including those before and after the decimal point. The float type, which has a smaller range, was used at one time because it was faster than the double when dealing with thousands or millions of floating-point numbers. Because calculation speed has increased dramatically with new processors, however, the advantages of floats over doubles are negligible. Many programmers consider the double type to be the default when working with numbers that require decimal points.

Key Characteristics

Memory Usage: A double typically occupies 8 bytes (64 bits) of memory.

Precision: It provides approximately 15 to 17 significant decimal digits of precision, making it suitable for calculations where accuracy is crucial.

Range: It can represent an exceptionally wide range of values, from approximately ± 4.9 X 10^-324 to ± 1.8 X 10³⁰⁸.

Standardization: The double data type typically conforms to the IEEE 754 standard for binary floating-point arithmetic (specifically, the binary64 format).