Lecture 2: Variables and

Primitive Data Types

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 In this lecture, you will learn…
• What a variable is
– Types of variables
– Naming of variables
– Variable assignment
• What a primitive data type is
• Other data types (ex. String)

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 What is a Variable?
• In basic algebra, variables are symbols
that can represent values in formulas.

• Formula: y=x2+2
can represent any number value.

• Similarly, variables in computer program

are symbols for arbitrary data.

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 A Variable Analogy
• Think of variables as an empty box that you
can put values in.

We can label the box with a name like “Box a” and re-use it many times.

– “Move Box a to Shelf A”

– “Put item Z in box”
– “Remove contents from Box a”
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 Variables Types in Java
• Variables have a type.

The type defines what kinds of values a variable is allowed to store.

• The variable x in f(x)=x2+2 is implicitly a number.

• If x is a symbol representing the word

“Fish”, the formula doesn’t make sense.

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 Java Types
• Integer Types:
– int: Most numbers you’ll deal with.
– long: Big integers; science, finance, computing.
– short: Small integers. Legacy. Not very useful.
– byte: Very small integers, useful for generic data.
• Floating Point (Decimal) Types:
– float: Single-precision decimal numbers
– double: Double-precision decimal numbers.
• Other Types:
– String: Text strings.
– boolean: True or false.
– char: Latin Alphanumeric Characters

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 Declaring Variables in Java
• Variables are created by declaring their
type and their name as follows:
– type name;
• Declaring an integer named “x” :
– int x;
• Declaring a string named “greeting”:
– String greeting;
• We have not assigned values to these
variables; just made empty boxes.

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 Assigning Values to Variables
• Assign values to variables using the syntax:
– String name = "value";
• For example:
– int x = 100;
– String greeting = “Jambo”;
• Illegal to assign a variable the wrong type:
– int x = “Jambo”;
– int x = 1.2;
– String greeting = 123;
• Can declare and assign in one step:
– int x = 100;
– String greeting = “Jambo”;

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 Naming Variables
• Variable names (or identifiers) may be any
length, but must start with:
– A letter (a – z),

– A dollar sign ($),

– Or, an underscore ( _ ).

• Identifiers cannot contain special operation

symbols like +, -, *, /, &, %, ^, etc.
• Certain reserved keywords in the Java
language are illegal.
• For example, “class”, “static”, “int”,
etc.
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 Naming Variables

• Choose variable names that are informative.

– Good: int studentExamGrade;
studentExamGrade = 98 ;
– Bad: int tempvar3931;
tempvar3931 = 95 ；

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 Floating Point Types
• Initialize doubles as you would write a
decimal number:
– double y = 1.23;
• Use a trailing ‘d’ to force a value to be
double:
– double y = 1d/3; // y
= .333333333
– double z = 1/3; // z = 0.0 …
Why?

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public class AdditionOperator
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int firstVal = 5;
int secondVal = 2;

int firstPlusSecond = firstVal +

secondVal;

System.out.println(firstPlusSecond);
}
}
Integer Division

in Java

5/2=2

5.0 / 2.0 = 2.5

When you use mixed division in your program

you will be returned a double.

5 / 2.0 = 2.5
public class TrickyJava
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int candyBars = 20;
int friends = 5;

System.out.print("Candy bars: ");

System.out.println(candyBars);
System.out.print("Friends: ");
System.out.println(friends);
int candyBarsPerPerson = candyBars / friends;
System.out.print("Candy per person: ");
System.out.println(candyBarsPerPerson);

friends = friends + 1;
System.out.print("Candy bars: ");
System.out.println(candyBars);
System.out.print("Friends: ");
System.out.println(friends);
candyBarsPerPerson = candyBars / friends;
System.out.print("Candy per person: ");
System.out.println(candyBarsPerPerson);
}
}
public class TrickyJava
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int candyBars = 20;
int friends = 5;

System.out.print("Candy bars: ");

System.out.println(candyBars);
System.out.print("Friends: ");
System.out.println(friends);
int candyBarsPerPerson = candyBars / friends;
System.out.print("Candy per person: ");
System.out.println(candyBarsPerPerson);

friends = friends + 1;
System.out.print("Candy bars: ");
System.out.println(candyBars);
System.out.print("Friends: ");
System.out.println(friends);
candyBarsPerPerson = candyBars / friends;
System.out.print("Candy per person: ");
System.out.println(candyBarsPerPerson);
}
}
public class MyProgram
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int intTempF = 70;

double convert1 = 5 / 9 * (intTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert1);

double convert2 = 5.0 / 9 * (intTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert2);

double doubleTempF = 70;

double convert3 = 5 / 9 * (doubleTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert3);

double convert4 = (doubleTempF - 32) * 5 / 9;

System.out.println(convert4);
}
}
public class MyProgram
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int intTempF = 70;

double convert1 = 5 / 9 * (intTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert1);

double convert2 = 5.0 / 9 * (intTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert2);

double doubleTempF = 70;

double convert3 = 5 / 9 * (doubleTempF - 32);

System.out.println(convert3);

double convert4 = (doubleTempF - 32) * 5 / 9;

System.out.println(convert4);
}
}
 Compound Assignment Operators

Evaluating What is Stored in a

Variable
int mysteryNum = (4 + 6 * (2 * 3) - 2);
public class AllFunctionsCalculator
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int num = 2;
int sum = 5;
int difference = 5;
int product = 5;
int dividend = 5;
int modulo = 5;
sum += num;
difference -= num;
product *= num;
dividend /= num;
modulo %= num;
System.out.print("The sum is ");
System.out.println(sum);
System.out.print("The difference is ");
System.out.println(difference);
System.out.print("The product is ");
System.out.println(product);
System.out.print("The dividend is ");
System.out.println(dividend);
System.out.print("The modulo is ");
System.out.println(modulo);
}
}
public class AllFunctionsCalculator
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int num = 2;
int sum = 5;
int difference = 5;
int product = 5;
int dividend = 5;
int modulo = 5;
sum += num;
difference -= num;
product *= num;
dividend /= num;
modulo %= num;
System.out.print("The sum is ");
System.out.println(sum);
System.out.print("The difference is ");
System.out.println(difference);
System.out.print("The product is ");
System.out.println(product);
System.out.print("The dividend is ");
System.out.println(dividend);
System.out.print("The modulo is ");
System.out.println(modulo);
}
}
public class IncreaseDecrease
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
int num1 = 4;
int num2 = 3;

System.out.print("num1 = ");
System.out.println(num1);
System.out.print("num2 = ");
System.out.println(num2);

System.out.println("Increasing the value of num1");

num1++;

System.out.println("Decreasing the value of num2");

num2--;

System.out.print("num1 = ");
System.out.println(num1);
System.out.print("num2 = ");
System.out.println(num2);
}
}
public class IncreaseDecrease
{
public static void main(String args[])
{
int num1 = 4;
int num2 = 3;

System.out.print("num1 = ");
System.out.println(num1);
System.out.print("num2 = ");
System.out.println(num2);

System.out.println("Increasing the value of num1");

num1++;

System.out.println("Decreasing the value of num2");

num2--;

System.out.print("num1 = ");
System.out.println(num1);
System.out.print("num2 = ");
System.out.println(num2);
}
}
Casting and Range of Variables

How Casting Works

int doubleToInt = (int)10.95; // This will become
'10'

int intVal = 10;

double doubleVal = (double)intVal;
// Our 'doubleVal' variable is now '10.0'

double doubleVal = 7.6;

int intVal = (int)doubleVal;
// Our 'intVal' variable is now '7'

int currResidents = 50;

int floorTotal = 56;
double average = (double)floorTotal /
currResidents;
// We now have the value of '1.12'
CAST

Compile-time Error

5.0 5.0

2.5
2.0

2.5
public class CastingOrderOfOperations
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int doubleCastedToInt = (int) 10.9 ;
System.out.print("(int) 10.9 = ");
System.out.println(doubleCastedToInt);

double castNumerator = (double) 2 / 3;

System.out.print("(double) 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castNumerator);

double castDenominator = 2 / (double) 3;

System.out.print("2 / (double) 3 = ");
System.out.println(castDenominator);

double castNeither = 2 / 3;
System.out.print("2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castNeither);

double castOutsideOfParentheses = (double) (2 / 3);

System.out.print("(double) (2 / 3) = ");
System.out.println(castOutsideOfParentheses);

double castWrongElement = (double) 5 + 2 / 3;

System.out.print("(double) 5 + 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castWrongElement);

double castCorrectElement = 5 + (double) 2 / 3;

System.out.print("5 + (double) 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castCorrectElement); }}
public class CastingOrderOfOperations
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int doubleCastedToInt = (int) 10.9 ;
System.out.print("(int) 10.9 = ");
System.out.println(doubleCastedToInt);

double castNumerator = (double) 2 / 3;

System.out.print("(double) 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castNumerator);

double castDenominator = 2 / (double) 3;

System.out.print("2 / (double) 3 = ");
System.out.println(castDenominator);

double castNeither = 2 / 3;
System.out.print("2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castNeither);

double castOutsideOfParentheses = (double) (2 / 3);

System.out.print("(double) (2 / 3) = ");
System.out.println(castOutsideOfParentheses);

double castWrongElement = (double) 5 + 2 / 3;

System.out.print("(double) 5 + 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castWrongElement);

double castCorrectElement = 5 + (double) 2 / 3;

System.out.print("5 + (double) 2 / 3 = ");
System.out.println(castCorrectElement); }}
Math method ： abs 、 pow 、 sqrt 、
int num=-89;
random
double newNum= Math.abs(num);
Min and Max Values of Integers

Integer.MIN_VALUE double number = Math.abs(-8.9);

double pow =
Integer.MAX_ VALUE
Math.pow(num,3);

double newPow = Math.pow(2,3);

double sqrt =

Math.sqrt(81.0);

double ran =
The minimium integer value in Java is -
2147483648
The maximum integer value in JavaMath.random();//[0,1)
is 2147483647
 Boolean Type
• The values true or false are case-
sensitive keywords.

• Booleans will be used later for testing

properties of data.

• Example:
– boolean monsterHungry = true;
– boolean fileOpen = false;

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 String Type
• Strings are not a primitive. They are what’s
called an Object, which we will discuss later.

• Strings are sequences of characters

surrounded by “double quotations”.
– String greeting = “Jambo”;
– String Greet = new String(“Hi
”);

• Strings have a special append operator + that

creates a new String:
– String bigGreeting = Greet + greeting;
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 Escape Sequences
• The three escape sequences that you should
know for the AP exam are ：

System.out.println("Welcome to\na new line");

System.out.println("He is known as \"Hothead Harry\".");

System.out.println("The file path is d:\\
myFiles\\..");

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