What are the differences between implicit and explicit casting in programming?

What are the differences between implicit and explicit casting in programming?

Implicit casting, also known as coercion, happens automatically when converting a smaller data type to a larger one, like int to float. Explicit casting, on the other hand, requires a specific conversion command, like using (int) to convert a float to an int.

Can you give me an example of implicit casting?

Sure! If you add an integer to a float, the integer is implicitly converted to a float. For example, 5 + 2.0 results in 7.0.

And what about explicit casting?

An example of explicit casting is when you want to convert a float to an integer. You would write it as (int)3.7, which would result in 3.

Are there any risks with explicit casting?

Yes, explicit casting can lead to data loss. For instance, converting a float like 3.9 to an int will truncate the decimal, resulting in 3.