C Programming - Pointers - Discussion

Float a=3.14;

All variables are stored in memory in binary representation only.
Like int a=2; four bytes will be occupied in memory where first byte will be stored as 2 or 10 in binary and rest 3 bytes will be stored as 0.
Similarly, float quantities are also stored in binary representation

Sign exponent mantissa. And this information is spread among 4 bytes.

Since here we are type casting it to char*
We are informing compiler to take 1st byte out of 4 bytes of the float.

So we get the partial value of 3.14 mantissa in the first byte of that float variable.

Now y is negative value.
While printing we are again taking 4 bytes of that variable, where only one byte is having data rest all are 0.

As it was typecast to char last byte is holding now 195,
A signed Char ranges between -128 to 127.
So after 127, it will repeat cycle from negative most quantity..i.e -127 -126 -125 .... -61.

What is happening here is that ASCII value of a character that looks like '|-' or a 'T' rotated by 90 degrees anti-clockwise is getting stored in the
first byte of the float variable a.

Now the ASCII value of this character actually is 195. But since 1 signed byte stores 8 bits. The first bit is for sign which leaves us with 7 bits to
store the ASCII value. So the range is -128 to 127. Since 195 > 127. 195 in binary form is 1100 0011.

NOW WHAT IS VALUE OF 195 IN UNSIGNED CHAR RANGE.....
The MSB i.e 1 is used as sign. MSB=1 indicates negative.

X100 0011
||
X011 1100<--1'S COMPLEMENT
+1<--2'S COMPLEMENT
------------
X011 1101 (32+16+8+4+1=61).
------------

NOW CONSIDERING MSB BIT 1, THE VALUE OF 195(1100 0011) IN UNSIGNED CHAR WILL BE -61.

What is happening here is that ASCII value of a character that looks like '|-' or a 'T' rotated by 90 degrees anti-clockwise is getting stored in the first byte of the float variable a.

Now the ASCII value of this character actually is 195. But since 1 signed byte stores 8 bits. The first bit is for sign which leaves us with 7 bits to store the ASCII value. So the range is -128 to 127. Since 195 > 127. 195 in binary form is 1100 0011.

The MSB i.e 1 is used as sign. MSB=1 indicates negative.

Remaining (1000011)bits count to 67. After 127 the value becomes -128 since 01111111 (+127)
+ 1
------------
= 11111111 (-128)

Now add 67 till you get 195.

So -128 + 67 = 61

@Vishwas.

3.14D = 11.0010001111010111B.

the format of float:SEEEEEEE EMMMMMMM MMMMMMMM MMMMMMMM
S: it's 0, it's a postive
E: 10000000 (1+127), the index part is 1.E is positive, hence the base's decimal point move to the right by 1 digit, otherwise, move to the left.
M: (1.)10010001111010111here omitted a 1. in the left.

Then The decimal point is shifted to the right by 1 digit, i.e. 11.0010001111010111B i.e. 3.14D.

Hence it is stored as 01000000 0100100 11110101 11000011 (the width of float is 4 bytes).

The answer is incorrect.

'It prints the 8-bit signed integer equivalent of the data present in the first byte of the float variable a'.

1. It's got nothing to do with ASCII. As ASCII is just a standard way of representing a 7-bit number i.e. numbers 0 - 127 are mapped to various symbols. e.g. 48 = '0', 65 = 'A', 66 = 'B', 97 = 'a'.

2. It's got as much to do with binary as it's got to do with transistors.

float a=3.14;
char *j;
j = (char*)&a;
printf("%d\n", *j);
return 0;
//here j is pointer to char a are declare as 3.14 which is float in third line &a is nothing but the reference of a i.e direct retrived the value 3.14 and cast it as (char*) ;
so here float value are casted.hence it will print the ASCII charactor of first byte.

This problem/code appears to me to have been written with errors.

The %d in the printf does not match the float or char. If you make both the value (which is float 3.14) AND the pointer a float AND change the %d to %f, you get the meaningful printing of the 3.14.

Can anyone help me to get it of?

About heap memory:

Whenever we use dynamic memory allocation functions such as malloc() or calloc(), it allocates a memory and returns a pointer to it. The allocation of the memory is done in internal RAM of the micro controller, this memory is nothing but the heap memory.

#include<stdio.h>

int main()
{
int a=3;
char *j;
j = (char*)&a;
printf("%d\n", *j);
return 0;
}

This code is similar. But the output is 3. why? integer is also 4 byte. Here ASCII value is not printed.

@Manasa.

Here float a = 3.

Hence in its 4 bytes it has its values as:

00000000 00000000 00000000 00000011.

As it is converted to char, its size is 1 byte and it points to first byte, whose value is '0'. Hence result is zero.