I want to be better about knowing when I should cast. What are the implicit type conversion rules in C++ when adding, multiplying, etc. For example,
int + float = ?
int * float = ?
float * int = ?
int / float = ?
float / int = ?
int / int = ?
int ^ float = ?
et cetera...
Will the expression always be evaluated as the more precise type? Do the rules differ for Java? Please correct me if I have worded this question inaccurately.
In C++ operators (for POD types) always act on objects of the same type.
Thus if they are not the same one will be promoted to match the other.
The type of the result of the operation is the same as operands (after conversion).
if:
either is long double other is promoted > long double
either is double other is promoted > double
either is float other is promoted > float
either is long long unsigned int other is promoted > long long unsigned int
either is long long int other is promoted > long long int
either is long unsigned int other is promoted > long unsigned int
either is long int other is promoted > long int
either is unsigned int other is promoted > unsigned int
either is int other is promoted > int
Otherwise:
both operands are promoted to int
Note. The minimum size of operations is int. So short/char are promoted to int before the operation is done.
In all your expressions the int is promoted to a float before the operation is performed. The result of the operation is a float.
int + float => float + float = float
int * float => float * float = float
float * int => float * float = float
int / float => float / float = float
float / int => float / float = float
int / int = int
int ^ float => <compiler error>
char type. If the value of char + char is assigned to a char, then it can just do the arithmetic in char and for example wrap around. But if the result is assigned to int then it has to do the arithmetic in a type large enough to get the correct result when it's more than CHAR_MAX.
Apr 6, 2011 at 8:27
((int) 4) - ((unsigned int) 5) will result in 4294967295 for 32 bit ints and 32 bit unsigned ints.
Arithmetic operations involving float results in float.
int + float = float
int * float = float
float * int = float
int / float = float
float / int = float
int / int = int
For more detail answer. Look at what the section §5/9 from the C++ Standard says
Many binary operators that expect operands of arithmetic or enumeration type cause conversions and yield result types in a similar way. The purpose is to yield a common type, which is also the type of the result.
This pattern is called the usual arithmetic conversions, which are defined as follows:
— If either operand is of type long double, the other shall be converted to long double.
— Otherwise, if either operand is double, the other shall be converted to double.
— Otherwise, if either operand is float, the other shall be converted to float.
— Otherwise, the integral promotions (4.5) shall be performed on both operands.54)
— Then, if either operand is unsigned long the other shall be converted to unsigned long.
— Otherwise, if one operand is a long int and the other unsigned int, then if a long int can represent all the values of an unsigned int, the unsigned int shall be converted to a long int; otherwise both operands shall be converted to unsigned long int.
— Otherwise, if either operand is long, the other shall be converted to long.
— Otherwise, if either operand is unsigned, the other shall be converted to unsigned.
[Note: otherwise, the only remaining case is that both operands are int ]
long long and unsigned long not addressed right here.
Jan 7, 2016 at 18:39
float doesn't have enough bits in the mantissa (24 bits for IEEE-754) for a 32-bit int, so there might be some data loss. A 64-bit double should be just fine.
Jun 2, 2020 at 13:55
Since the other answers don't talk about the rules in C++11 here's one. From C++11 standard (draft n3337) §5/9 (emphasized the difference):
This pattern is called the usual arithmetic conversions, which are defined as follows:
— If either operand is of scoped enumeration type, no conversions are performed; if the other operand does not have the same type, the expression is ill-formed.
— If either operand is of type long double, the other shall be converted to long double.
— Otherwise, if either operand is double, the other shall be converted to double.
— Otherwise, if either operand is float, the other shall be converted to float.
— Otherwise, the integral promotions shall be performed on both operands. Then the following rules shall be applied to the promoted operands:
— If both operands have the same type, no further conversion is needed.
— Otherwise, if both operands have signed integer types or both have unsigned integer types, the operand with the type of lesser integer conversion rank shall be converted to the type of the operand with greater rank.
— Otherwise, if the operand that has unsigned integer type has rank greater than or equal to the rank of the type of the other operand, the operand with signed integer type shall be converted to the type of the operand with unsigned integer type.
— Otherwise, if the type of the operand with signed integer type can represent all of the values of the type of the operand with unsigned integer type, the operand with unsigned integer type shall be converted to the type of the operand with signed integer type.
— Otherwise, both operands shall be converted to the unsigned integer type corresponding to the type of the operand with signed integer type.
See here for a list that's frequently updated.
This answer is directed in large part at a comment made by @RafałDowgird:
"The minimum size of operations is int." - This would be very strange (what about architectures that efficiently support char/short operations?) Is this really in the C++ spec?
Keep in mind that the C++ standard has the all-important "as-if" rule. See section 1.8: Program Execution:
3) This provision is sometimes called the "as-if" rule, because an implementation is free to disregard any requirement of the Standard as long as the result is as if the requirement had been obeyed, as far as can be determined from the observable behavior of the program.
The compiler cannot set an int to be 8 bits in size, even if it were the fastest, since the standard mandates a 16-bit minimum int.
Therefore, in the case of a theoretical computer with super-fast 8-bit operations, the implicit promotion to int for arithmetic could matter. However, for many operations, you cannot tell if the compiler actually did the operations in the precision of an int and then converted to a char to store in your variable, or if the operations were done in char all along.
For example, consider unsigned char = unsigned char + unsigned char + unsigned char, where addition would overflow (let's assume a value of 200 for each). If you promoted to int, you would get 600, which would then be implicitly down cast into an unsigned char, which would wrap modulo 256, thus giving a final result of 88. If you did no such promotions,you'd have to wrap between the first two additions, which would reduce the problem from 200 + 200 + 200 to 144 + 200, which is 344, which reduces to 88. In other words, the program does not know the difference, so the compiler is free to ignore the mandate to perform intermediate operations in int if the operands have a lower ranking than int.
This is true in general of addition, subtraction, and multiplication. It is not true in general for division or modulus.
If you exclude the unsigned types, there is an ordered hierarchy: signed char, short, int, long, long long, float, double, long double. First, anything coming before int in the above will be converted to int. Then, in a binary operation, the lower ranked type will be converted to the higher, and the results will be the type of the higher. (You'll note that, from the hierarchy, anytime a floating point and an integral type are involved, the integral type will be converted to the floating point type.)
Unsigned complicates things a bit: it perturbs the ranking, and parts of the ranking become implementation defined. Because of this, it's best to not mix signed and unsigned in the same expression. (Most C++ experts seem to avoid unsigned unless bitwise operations are involved. That is, at least, what Stroustrup recommends.)
int for a number that never needs to be negative is a complete waste of a full 50% of the available range. I'm certainly no Stroustrup, but I use unsigned by default and signed only when I have a reason.
Dec 18, 2015 at 1:08
bool in_order(vector<T> vec) { for ( int i = 0; i < size() - 1; ++i) { if (vec[i + 1] < vec[i]) return false; } return true; and then you'd be annoyed to find that it crashes for empty vectors because size() - 1 returns 18446744073709551615.
Feb 4, 2019 at 5:53
My solution to the problem got WA(wrong answer), then i changed one of int to long long int and it gave AC(accept). Previously, I was trying to do long long int += int * int, and after I rectify it to long long int += long long int * int. Googling I came up with,
Conditions for Type Conversion:
Conditions Met ---> Conversion
Either operand is of type long double. ---> Other operand is converted to type long double.
Preceding condition not met and either operand is of type double. ---> Other operand is converted to type double.
Preceding conditions not met and either operand is of type float. ---> Other operand is converted to type float.
Preceding conditions not met (none of the operands are of floating types). ---> Integral promotions are performed on the operands as follows:
Integer types smaller than int are promoted when an operation is performed on them. If all values of the original type can be represented as an int, the value of the smaller type is converted to an int; otherwise, it is converted to an unsigned int. Integer promotions are applied as part of the usual arithmetic conversions to certain argument expressions; operands of the unary +, -, and ~ operators; and operands of the shift operators.
Integer Conversion Rank:
long long int shall be greater than the rank of long int, which shall be greater than the rank of int, which shall be greater than the rank of short int, which shall be greater than the rank of signed char.char shall equal the rank of signed char and unsigned char.Usual Arithmetic Conversions:
Whole chapter 4 talks about conversions, but I think you should be mostly interested in these :
4.5 Integral promotions
[conv.prom]
An rvalue of type char, signed char, unsigned char, short int, or unsigned short
int can be converted to an rvalue of type int if int can represent all the values of the source type; other-
wise, the source rvalue can be converted to an rvalue of type unsigned int.
An rvalue of type wchar_t (3.9.1) or an enumeration type (7.2) can be converted to an rvalue of the first
of the following types that can represent all the values of its underlying type: int, unsigned int,
long, or unsigned long.
An rvalue for an integral bit-field (9.6) can be converted to an rvalue of type int if int can represent all
the values of the bit-field; otherwise, it can be converted to unsigned int if unsigned int can rep-
resent all the values of the bit-field. If the bit-field is larger yet, no integral promotion applies to it. If the
bit-field has an enumerated type, it is treated as any other value of that type for promotion purposes.
An rvalue of type bool can be converted to an rvalue of type int, with false becoming zero and true
becoming one.
These conversions are called integral promotions.
4.6 Floating point promotion
[conv.fpprom]
An rvalue of type float can be converted to an rvalue of type double. The value is unchanged.
This conversion is called floating point promotion.
Therefore, all conversions involving float - the result is float.
Only the one involving both int - the result is int : int / int = int
The type of the expression, when not both parts are of the same type, will be converted to the biggest of both. The problem here is to understand which one is bigger than the other (it does not have anything to do with size in bytes).
In expressions in which a real number and an integer number are involved, the integer will be promoted to real number. For example, in int + float, the type of the expression is float.
The other difference are related to the capability of the type. For example, an expression involving an int and a long int will result of type long int.
long is "bigger" than a float but what is the type of long + float?
Apr 6, 2011 at 7:52
Caveat!
The conversions occur from left to right.
Try this:
int i = 3, j = 2;
double k = 33;
cout << k * j / i << endl; // prints 22
cout << j / i * k << endl; // prints 0
j + i * k would result in 101.
Oct 12, 2015 at 13:48
^is XOR.