Why won't extern link to a static variable?

Question

Why does extern int n not compile when n is declared (in a different file) static int n, but works when declared int n? (Both of thes

Answer 1

iv.c:2:1: error: multiple storage classes in declaration specifiers extern static int i; ^

That is what we get on attempting to extern a static variable. Declaring extern static int i; - is analogous to the declaration float int i; You can't have float and int appear in the same declaration right? Similarly, you can't have extern and static in the same declaration.