INTRODUCTION TO OBJECTS AND INPUT/OUTPUT - Java Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design - page 130

values and up to 15 decimal places for double values. Moreover, sometimes we would
like to align the output in certain columns. To format the output in a specific manner,
you can use the method printf .
A syntax to use the method printf to produce the output on the standard output
device is:

System.out.printf(formatString);

or:

System.out.printf(formatString, argumentList);

where formatString is a string specifying the format of the output and argumentList
is a list of arguments. The argumentList is a list of arguments that consists of constant
values, variables, or expressions. If argumentList has more than one argument, then the
arguments are separated with commas.
For example, the statement:

System.out.printf("Hello there!"); //Line 1

consists of only the format string, and the statement:

System.out.printf("There are %.2f inches in %d centimeters.%n",
centimeters / 2.54, centimeters); //Line 2

consists of both the format string and argumentList ,where centimeters is a
variable of type int . Notice that the argument list consists of the expression
centimeters / 2.54 and the variable centimeters .Alsonoticethattheformat
string consists of the two expressions, %.2f and %d ; these are called format
specifiers.Bydefau ,formatspec iersandtheargumen sin argumentList
have a one-to-one correspondence. Here, the first format specifier %.2f is matched
with the first argument, which is the expression centimeters / 2.54 .Itsaysto
output the value of the expression centimeters / 2.54 to two decimal places. The
second format specifier %d is matched with the second argument, which is
centimeters .Itsaystooutputthevalueof centimeters as a (decimal) integer.
(The format specifier %n positions the insertion point at the beginning of the next line.)
The output of the statement in Line 1 is:

Hello there!
Suppose that the value of centimeters is 150 . Now (to 14 decimal places):

centimeters / 2.54 = 150 / 2.54 = 59.05511811023622

Therefore, the output of the statement in Line 2 is:

There are 59.06 inches in 150 centimeters.
Notice that the value of the expression centimeters / 2.54 is rounded and printed to
two decimal places.