Type Conversion

Type conversion, or type casting, is the process of converting a variable's data from one data type to another. This is a common requirement in programming, such as when you need to perform floating-point division on two integers. C handles type conversion in two ways: implicit and explicit. Implicit type conversion is performed automatically by the compiler when it encounters an expression involving different data types. The compiler follows a set of rules, generally converting the 'lower' or smaller data type to the 'higher' or larger data type to avoid data loss. For example, if you add an `int` to a `float`, the `int` value is implicitly converted to a `float` before the addition is performed. This is also known as type promotion. While convenient, relying too heavily on implicit conversions can sometimes lead to subtle bugs if the conversion rules are not fully understood. Explicit type conversion, on the other hand, is performed manually by the programmer. This is done using the cast operator `(type)`. You specify the target data type in parentheses before the variable or value you want to convert. For instance, to perform floating-point division with two integer variables `a` and `b`, you would write `(float)a / b`. This explicitly tells the compiler to treat the value of `a` as a `float` for this specific operation, which then forces `b` to be promoted to a `float` as well, resulting in a floating-point division. Explicit casting is powerful and necessary in many scenarios, particularly with pointers and dynamic memory allocation, but it should be used with caution, as converting from a larger type to a smaller type (e.g., `double` to `int`) can lead to loss of data.