storing money amounts in mysql

Question

I want to store 3.50 into a mysql table. I have a float that I store it in, but it stores as 3.5, not 3.50. How can I get it to have the trailing zero?

Answer 1

Binary can't accurately represent floating points with only a limited number of bits. It's not so muuch loss of data but actually conversion errors.. Here's the manual giving examples

You can see this in action in your browser, see for yourself in this code snippet.