Java short

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Technical Specifications

• Size: 16 bits (2 bytes)
• Minimum Value: -32,768 ($-2^{15}$)
• Maximum Value: 32,767 ($2^{15} - 1$)
• Default Value: 0 (when declared as a class or instance variable)
• Wrapper Class: java.lang.Short

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Syntax and Initialization

short minVal = -32768;
short maxVal = 32767;

// Compilation error: incompatible types: possible lossy conversion from int to short
// short outOfBounds = 32768; 

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Type Promotion and Arithmetic

short a = 10;
short b = 20;

// Compilation error: incompatible types: possible lossy conversion from int to short
// short c = a + b; 

// Correct: Explicitly casting the int result back to short
short c = (short) (a + b); 

short d = 10;
d += 5; // Compiles successfully; equivalent to d = (short) (d + 5);

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Casting Rules

• Widening (Implicit): A short can be implicitly cast to a larger or floating-point primitive (int, long, float, double) without data loss.
• Narrowing (Explicit): Casting a larger primitive down to a short requires an explicit cast. If the value exceeds the 16-bit capacity, the higher-order bits are discarded, resulting in a truncated, potentially altered value (underflow/overflow).

short s = 100;
int widened = s; // Implicit widening

int largeInt = 40000;
short narrowed = (short) largeInt; // Explicit narrowing. Result: -25536 (bit truncation)