Define data types. Explain different data types used in C.
A data type specifies the type of data that a variable can store such as integer, floating, character, etc.
There are the following data types in C language.
Basic Data Type | int, char, float, double |
Derived Data Type | array, pointer, structure, union |
Enumeration Data Type | enum |
Void Data Type | void |
The basic data types are integer-based and floating-point based. C language supports both signed and unsigned literals.
The memory size of the basic data types may change according to 32 or 64-bit operating system.
Let's see the basic data types. Its size is given according to 32-bit architecture.
char | 1 byte | −128 to 127 |
signed char | 1 byte | −128 to 127 |
unsigned char | 1 byte | 0 to 255 |
short | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
signed short | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
unsigned short | 2 byte | 0 to 65,535 |
int | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
signed int | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
unsigned int | 2 byte | 0 to 65,535 |
short int | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
signed short int | 2 byte | −32,768 to 32,767 |
unsigned short int | 2 byte | 0 to 65,535 |
long int | 4 byte | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
signed long int | 4 byte | -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
unsigned long int | 4 byte | 0 to 4,294,967,295 |
float | 4 byte | |
double | 8 byte | |
long double | 10 byte |
Structures in Cis a user-defined data type available in C that allows to combining of data items of different kinds. Structures are used to represent a record.
Defining a structure:To define astructure, you must use thestructstatement. The struct statement defines a newdata type, with more than or equal to one member. The format of the struct statement is as follows:
struct [structure name] { member definition; member definition; ... member definition; }; (OR) struct [structure name] { member...