Doubles take up twice the amount of memory as floats do (hence the name) but as a result they are more precise and can represent a wider range of values. Memory space doesn’t matter as much as it used to so for most use cases, doubles are just fine. In certain applications though where speed and performance is a higher priority than accuracy, such as graphics calculations for video games, using floats instead of doubles may be preferable. Answer from Quantum-Bot on reddit.com
TheServerSide
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Java double vs float: What's the difference?
If all of the values fall within the range of a float, it makes sense to use the smaller Java data type in this situation, otherwise the array elements needlessly consume memory. Data precision can be a problem with double and float types because binary numbers don’t always convert cleanly to decimals. For example, the following program prints out 11.3999 as the sum of 5.6 + 5.8:
Educative
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Float vs. double in Java
March 10, 2026 - For example: float value = 3.14; // Compilation error: possible lossy conversion from double to float float value2 = 3.14f; // Valid · Similarly, when converting from double to float you need an explicit cast: ... Understanding this behavior is part of comparing float vs. double in Java: double ...
floating point - Float and double datatype in Java - Stack Overflow
For example, calculations such as square root, or transcendentals such as sine and cosine, result in a value whose precision requires a floating-point type. Java implements the standard (IEEE–754) set of floatingpoint types and operators. There are two kinds of floating-point types, float and double... More on stackoverflow.com
Why is a double preferred over a float?
Dealing with any type of floating point numbers is a science as they are not exact. Essentially it boils down to doubles being accurate to a greater number of decimal places and if you are using a JVM memory is not likely to be a problem.
If you are doing finance type tasks there are specific classes that should be used - the same as if the data is to be stored in a database - which will guarantee accuracy of your decimal places (up to a specified point)
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October 24, 2011[New CS Student]Trouble differentiating between floats and doubles--why is 23.5 considered a double?
Every decimal number literal will be considered a double by default unless specified as float with the f. Same goes for whole numbers being integers by default. More on reddit.com
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August 7, 2021COMPLETE BEGINNER: When and why would I use a Float over a Double?
In order to do things with Metal or Audio. More on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › when should i use double and when should i use float for java?
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: When should I use double and when should I use float for Java?
January 6, 2024 -
I am learning Java, and am confuse on when to choose double or float for my real numbers or int. It feels like, it doesn’t matter because from my limited experience (with Java) both of them deliver the same results, but I don’t want to go further down the learning curve with Java and have a bad habit of using either messing up my code, and not having a clue as to why. So, when should you use float and double?
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Doubles take up twice the amount of memory as floats do (hence the name) but as a result they are more precise and can represent a wider range of values. Memory space doesn’t matter as much as it used to so for most use cases, doubles are just fine. In certain applications though where speed and performance is a higher priority than accuracy, such as graphics calculations for video games, using floats instead of doubles may be preferable.
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If you aren't sure, use a double. A double is accurate to about 15 digits while a float is only accurate to 7. If you're storing lots of numbers, you might need to use floats to fit everything in memory but that's not an issue until you're dealing with millions of numbers.
ELI5: difference between double and floating point data types May 17, 2014
r/explainlikeimfive 12y ago
ELI5:Java. Could someone explain what the data type 'float' is and how/why it should be used? Thanks Nov 22, 2013
r/explainlikeimfive 12y ago
EDUCBA
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Java float vs Double | Top 7 Beneficial Comparisons To Learn
January 11, 2024 - ... Float data type in Java stores a decimal value with 6-7 total digits of precision. So, for example, 12.12345 can be saved as a float, but 12.123456789 cannot be saved as afloat.
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Study.com
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Java: Float vs. Double - Lesson | Study.com
July 21, 2018 - Typically, a double scoop of ice cream is more than a float. The same is true in Java, but on a different scale. Both float and double data types are considered primitive, because they're core to the programming language and require nothing ...
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The Wikipedia page on it is a good place to start.
To sum up:
floatis represented in 32 bits, with 1 sign bit, 8 bits of exponent, and 23 bits of the significand (or what follows from a scientific-notation number: 2.33728*1012; 33728 is the significand).doubleis represented in 64 bits, with 1 sign bit, 11 bits of exponent, and 52 bits of significand.
By default, Java uses double to represent its floating-point numerals (so a literal 3.14 is typed double). It's also the data type that will give you a much larger number range, so I would strongly encourage its use over float.
There may be certain libraries that actually force your usage of float, but in general - unless you can guarantee that your result will be small enough to fit in float's prescribed range, then it's best to opt with double.
If you require accuracy - for instance, you can't have a decimal value that is inaccurate (like 1/10 + 2/10), or you're doing anything with currency (for example, representing $10.33 in the system), then use a BigDecimal, which can support an arbitrary amount of precision and handle situations like that elegantly.
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A float gives you approx. 6-7 decimal digits precision while a double gives you approx. 15-16. Also the range of numbers is larger for double.
A double needs 8 bytes of storage space while a float needs just 4 bytes.
Javatpoint
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Float Vs Double Java - Javatpoint
Float Vs Double Java with java tutorial, features, history, variables, object, programs, operators, oops concept, array, string, map, math, methods, examples etc.
Scaler
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Float Vs Double in Java - Difference You Should Know - Scaler Topics
March 27, 2024 - Both the float and double in Java represent or store real numbers in them, that is the numbers with fractions or decimal points. For example :1.23, 3.14, 1.1111.
FavTutor
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Java: Float vs Double | 4 Main Differences (& when to use?) | FavTutor
February 23, 2021 - This loss of bits from the end of the number is very pronounced while using float. The number of bits lost is much lesser while using double because of the large number of bits allocated for the exponent. Default: Double is the default data type used by Java for dealing with fractional numbers.
Blogger
javarevisited.blogspot.com › 2016 › 05 › difference-between-float-and-double-in-java.html
Difference between float and double variable in Java? Example
July 26, 2023 - By the way, the double type also has a larger range than float and if your numbers don't fit well in float then you have to use double in Java. It's also worth noting that floating-point numbers or real numbers are by default double in Java. If you want to store them into the float variable, you need to either cast them or use the prefix 'f' or 'F' as shown in our example.
Quora
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What is the difference between double and float in Java with example? Don't say the difference is in precision.. Please help? - Quora
Key differences between float and double in Java beyond the simple phrase “precision” are their storage size, default usage, literal syntax, rounding behavior, performance considerations, and typical use cases. Below are the concrete distinctions with examples.
Blogger
javahungry.blogspot.com › 2019 › 11 › difference-between-float-and-double-in-java.html
7 Difference Between float and double Datatypes in Java | Java Hungry
Data loss is expected when double is converted to float. 5. Default datatype : float is not the default data type value of floating point literals. double is the default data type of floating point literals. 6. Wrapper class : Wrapper class for float is java.lang.Float.
Codingzap
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Float vs Double in Java (Differences & Use Cases) - CodingZap
February 16, 2026 - We can understand this difference more clearly with a simple example. ... Inside the program, two print statements have been implemented. These will be used to print the range value of the float and double data types. Now, two built-in functions are used in the program. The MIN_VALUE function will be used to get lower values & the MAX_VALUE will be used to get larger range values. ... From the above output, we can see that the range values are different from the Java float and double keywords.
Java Code Geeks
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Float vs Double Java Example - Java Code Geeks
September 25, 2020 - The float data type in Java is a 32-bit single-precision type¬ and used when fractional precision calculations are required. It offers an unlimited range and has a default value of 0.0f.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › dsa › difference-between-float-and-double
Difference between Float and Double - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - The key difference is their precision and storage size. A float is typically a 32-bit number with a precision of about 7 decimal digits, while a double is a 64-bit number with a precision of about 15 decimal digits.
Baeldung
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Float vs. Double in Java | Baeldung
January 4, 2025 - A float is a 32-bit single-precision floating-point type, occupying four bytes of memory. This compact size makes it well-suited for memory-constrained environments like embedded systems and mobile devices. Additionally, its smaller footprint can help minimize cache misses and boost performance in memory-intensive applications. In contrast, a double is a 64-bit double-precision floating-point type, requiring eight bytes of memory.
Java67
java67.com › 2019 › 10 › deep-dive-into-float-and-double-datatypes-in-java.html
float and double data types in Java with Examples | Java67
If an expression involves both double and int, then the result will always be double, as shown in the below example · double ten = 10.00; int nine = 9; // int result = ten*nine; // compile time error, need casting because result is double double result = ten * nine; //Ok 7) by default, any floating-point number (number with a decimal point )is double in Java.
Simplilearn
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Float vs Double in Java: Key Differences You Should Know
November 17, 2025 - Explore the key differences between float and double in Java. Our comprehensive guide helps you choose the right type for your Java applications. Perfect for new coders!
Great Assignment Help
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Get To Know The Significant Differences Between Float Vs. Double
September 27, 2025 - Both the Float and Double data types can symbolize real values. Additionally, they can also stock up real numbers in them, which may be in the form of a fraction or a decimal point, for example, 1.11, 2.14, 3.8956, etc.
Calltutors
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Java Float vs Double: The Key Differences You Should Know
December 13, 2022 - Never use the data type for accurate values, such as currency. In Java, the float data type records a decimal value with 6-7 total digits of accuracy. So, for example, 12.12345 is a float that can be preserved, but 12.123456789 is not.