Why did we allocate an array of size 12 for our representation of that int as a string? No worries if the reason’s non-obvious, but give some though as to how wide the most positive (or most negative!) int might be.
What does that means?
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1 Answer
The question is hinting at you to think about why the array is initialized with a size of 12.
An integer, given how it is represented in computer memory on 32 bit systems (such as the appliance), has a finite value. Affording for the '/n' character at the end of a string results in a maximum width of 12 characters for the integer -(231) and 11 characters for 231-1.
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Aren't -(2^31) -and 2^31 - 1, respectively, 2147483648(1 and 2147483647, both 10 digits?– RexYuanCommented Nov 29, 2014 at 6:46
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And isn't the size of char 1 byte while that of int is 4? So 12 chars make 3 ints? I'm really confused– RexYuanCommented Nov 29, 2014 at 6:48
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No, -2147483648 when written as a string is 11 characters, count them in this sentence. The size of an integer in computer memory has nothing to do with the string representation of the integer. Commented Nov 30, 2014 at 11:40
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