C Tutorial

DATA TYPES IN C

Data Types in C

Data types in C tell the compiler what type of data a variable will hold. Each variable in C must be declared with a data type, which determines the size and layout of the variable's memory.

📘 Tip: Using the right data type ensures efficient memory usage and better performance.

📂 Basic Data Types

Data Type	Size (bytes)	Description
int	4	Stores integers (whole numbers)
float	4	Stores decimal numbers (6-7 digits precision)
double	8	Stores large decimal numbers (15-16 digits precision)
char	1	Stores single characters (e.g., 'A')

🧪 Example

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int age = 21;
    float pi = 3.14;
    double bigDecimal = 12345.6789;
    char grade = 'A';

    printf("Age: %d\\n", age);
    printf("Pi: %.2f\\n", pi);
    printf("Big Decimal: %.4lf\\n", bigDecimal);
    printf("Grade: %c\\n", grade);

    return 0;
}

🔎 Format Specifiers

%d – for int
%f – for float
%lf – for double
%c – for char

💡 Note: Use %.2f or %.4lf in printf to control decimal places.

🧱 Other Data Types

short – smaller int (usually 2 bytes)
long – bigger int (usually 4 or 8 bytes)
unsigned int – only positive integers

❌ Common Mistakes

🚫 Mixing data types (e.g., using %d for float)
🚫 Overflowing data type limits
🚫 Using incorrect format specifiers in printf

📝 Try It Yourself

Declare one variable of each type: int, float, double, char
Assign sample values and print using the correct format specifier

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