byte
The smallest integer type is byte. This is a signed 8-bit type that has a range from 128 to 127.
Variables of type byte are especially useful when you're working with a stream of data from
a network or file. They are also useful when you're working with raw binary data that may
not be directly compatible with Java's other built-in types.
Byte variables are declared by use of the byte keyword. For example, the following
declares two byte variables called b and c:
byte b, c;
short
short is a signed 16-bit type. It has a range from 32,768 to 32,767. It is probably the least-used
Java type. Here are some examples of short variable declarations:
short s;
short t;
int
The most commonly used integer type is int. It is a signed 32-bit type that has a range
from 2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. In addition to other uses, variables of type int are
commonly employed to control loops and to index arrays. Although you might think that
using a byte or short would be more efficient than using an int in situations in which the
larger range of an int is not needed, this may not be the case. The reason is that when byte
and short values are used in an expression they are promoted to int when the expression is
evaluated. (Type promotion is described later in this chapter.) Therefore, int is often the best
choice when an integer is needed.
long
long is a signed 64-bit type and is useful for those occasions where an int type is not large
enough to hold the desired value. The range of a long is quite large. This makes it useful
when big, whole numbers are needed. For example, here is a program that computes the
number of miles that light will travel in a specified number of days.
// Compute distance light travels using long variables.
class Light {
public static void main(String args[]) {
int lightspeed;
long days;
long seconds;
long distance;
// approximate speed of light in miles per second
lightspeed = 186000;
days = 1000; // specify number of days here
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