Short data type in C
In C, the short data type is used to declare integer variables that occupy less memory space compared to the int data type. A short variable typically uses 2 bytes (16 bits) of memory on most systems, although the exact size in bytes can depend on the system's architecture. The short data type is used for representing small integer values when memory efficiency is important, or when you know that the values you need to store won't exceed the range that can be represented by a short.
Here's how you can declare and use a short variable in C:short myShortVariable; // Declaration
myShortVariable = 42; // Assignment
printf("The value of myShortVariable is: %d\n", myShortVariable); // Printing the value
It's important to note that short variables have a limited range compared to int variables. The range of values a short can represent depends on the implementation, but it must be able to represent at least the range -32767 to 32767 (assuming a 2-byte short). If you need to store larger integer values, you should use an int or a long data type instead.
Here's a summary of some commonly used integer data types in C, along with their typical sizes (in bytes) and ranges:- short: Typically 2 bytes, at least -32767 to 32767.
- int: Typically 4 bytes, at least -2147483647 to 2147483647.
- long: Typically 4 or 8 bytes, at least -2147483647 to 2147483647 (or a much larger range on systems with 8-byte long).
- long long: Typically 8 bytes, at least -9223372036854775807 to 9223372036854775807.
The exact size and range of these data types can vary depending on the system and compiler you are using, so it's a good practice to use the sizeof operator to determine the size of a data type on your specific system:
printf("Size of short: %zu bytes\n", sizeof(short));This will print the size of a short integer in bytes for your particular system.