Decimal floating-point constant
A decimal floating-point constant is a C floating-point literal written with decimal digits, optionally including a fractional part and decimal exponent.
Modern C, Third Edition
A decimal floating-point literal is a C floating-point literal written with decimal digits and optionally a fractional part and decimal exponent.
- How it is used
- Specifies numerical constants directly in decimal or scientific notation.
- How deep it goes
- Defines decimal-point and exponent notation, without detailing floating-point evaluation or representation.
- Examples
- Uses 1.7E-13 for scientific notation and 0.2F, 0.2, and 0.2L for typed forms.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand decimal floating-point syntax and interpret an exponent as a power of ten.
Read how Modern C, Third Edition explains decimal floating-point constant →
Modern C
A decimal floating-point constant is a C floating-point literal written with decimal digits whose effective value may differ from its written mathematical value.
- How it is used
- Explains how C decimal floating-point literals acquire values and types.
- How deep it goes
- Defines rounding, suffix-based types, and binary representation, while deferring detailed representation mechanics.
- Examples
- Uses 0.0, 0.2, exponent notation, suffix variants, and hexadecimal constants as concrete comparisons.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate how notation and suffixes affect a floating-point literal's effective value and type.
Read how Modern C explains decimal floating-point constant →
Related concepts
- literalkind of · A literal is a language construct that directly denotes a fixed value or specifies an exact value permitted by a type.
- decimal integer constantcontrasts with · A decimal integer constant is a C integer literal written using decimal digits and subject to the language's decimal type-selection rules.
- floating-point constantkind of · A floating-point constant is source-code numeric literal syntax that denotes a value in a floating-point type.
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