Integer: Difference between revisions

Integer variables can be either be declared as '''signed''' or '''unsigned''', and this affects how the compiler handles them. CPUs have different ways of comparing values depending on whether a variable is intended to be signed or unsigned. Notice that I said "intended" - the CPU doesn't really know whether your data is meant to be signed or unsigned. This means that the quantity <tt>0xFFFFFFFF</tt> can represent either negative 1 or 4,294,967,295. But which one is it? Most high-level languages lock you into picking one, but at a hardware level it can be whatever you want it to be at any particular moment. (Kind of like the Ace in Blackjack.)