Loss of precision - int -> float or double

Question

I have an exam question I am revising for and the question is for 4 marks.

\"In java we can assign a int to a double or a float\". Will this ever lose

Answer 1

Possibly the clearest explanation I've seen: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/java/library/j-math2/index.html the ULP or unit of least precision defines the precision available between any two float values. As these values increase the available precision decreases. For example: between 1.0 and 2.0 inclusive there are 8,388,609 floats, between 1,000,000 and 1,000,001 there are 17. At 10,000,000 the ULP is 1.0, so above this value you soon have multiple integeral values mapping to each available float, hence the loss of precision.