The key difference between float
and double
in programming lies in their precision and memory usage:
- Precision:
float
: 32-bit (single precision), accurate up to 6-7 decimal places.double
: 64-bit (double precision), accurate up to 15-16 decimal places.
- Memory:
float
uses 4 bytes.double
uses 8 bytes.
- Range:
float
: Smaller range, suitable for less precise calculations.double
: Larger range, ideal for high-precision computations.
Example:
c
float a = 3.141592f; // Less precise
double b = 3.141592653589793; // More precise
Use float
for memory efficiency and double
for higher accuracy.