Next: Strings, Previous: Data Types, Up: Top

## 4 Numeric Data Types

A numeric constant may be a scalar, a vector, or a matrix, and it may contain complex values.

The simplest form of a numeric constant, a scalar, is a single number that can be an integer, a decimal fraction, a number in scientific (exponential) notation, or a complex number. Note that by default numeric constants are represented within Octave in double-precision floating point format (complex constants are stored as pairs of double-precision floating point values). It is however possible to represent real integers as described in Integer Data Types. Here are some examples of real-valued numeric constants, which all have the same value:

         105
         1.05e+2
         1050e-1

To specify complex constants, you can write an expression of the form

         3 + 4i
         3.0 + 4.0i
         0.3e1 + 40e-1i

all of which are equivalent. The letter ``i`' in the previous example stands for the pure imaginary constant, defined as `sqrt (-1)`.

For Octave to recognize a value as the imaginary part of a complex constant, a space must not appear between the number and the ``i`'. If it does, Octave will print an error message, like this:

         octave:13> 3 + 4 i

         parse error:

           3 + 4 i
                 ^

You may also use ``j`', ``I`', or ``J`' in place of the ``i`' above. All four forms are equivalent.

— Built-in Function: double (x)

> Convert x to double precision type.

— Function File: single (val)

> Convert the numeric value val to single precision.

> Note: this function currently returns its argument converted to double precision because Octave does not yet have a single-precision numeric data type.

— Built-in Function: complex (val)
— Built-in Function: complex (re, im)

> Convert x to a complex value.