Numeric Values

The numeric value forms — Number, BigInt, and Decimal.

Internet Object provides accurate numeric representation for everything from simple counting to exact financial arithmetic. It supports three numeric forms — Number, BigInt, and Decimal — each suited to a different requirement.

Numeric forms

• Number — a 64-bit IEEE 754 double-precision value, for general-purpose calculations and fractional values.

• BigInt — an arbitrary-precision integer, for whole numbers beyond the 64-bit range.

• Decimal — a fixed-precision decimal with exact arithmetic, for financial values and other cases that require precise decimal representation.

Number bases and notations

Internet Object accepts several notations. The table distinguishes integer-only bases from fractional notations and gives a recommendation.

Integer-only bases. Binary (base 2), octal (base 8), and hexadecimal (base 16) can represent only integers. For fractional values, use base-10 decimal or scientific notation.

Notation	Supported forms	Recommendation
Decimal integer (base 10)	Number, BigInt	BigInt for large integers; Number for general use
Decimal fractional	Number, Decimal	Decimal for exact/financial values; Number otherwise
Binary (base 2)	Number, BigInt	BigInt for large binary integers; Number otherwise
Octal (base 8)	Number, BigInt	BigInt for large octal integers; Number otherwise
Hexadecimal (base 16)	Number, BigInt	BigInt for large hex integers; Number otherwise
Scientific notation	Number, Decimal	Decimal for precise values; Number otherwise
Special values	Number only	NaN and Infinity for undefined/infinite results

Distinguishing the forms

Each form is identified by a distinct suffix (Number has none):

42          # Number  (standard floating-point)
42n         # BigInt  (arbitrary-precision integer)
42.50m      # Decimal (fixed-precision decimal)

Two senses of "decimal". Decimal (base 10) is the common numeral system used by all forms. Decimal (the form) is the fixed-precision type for exact arithmetic.

Choosing a form

Use case	Recommended form	Reason
General calculations	Number	Standard performance and compatibility
Financial amounts	Decimal	Exact precision, no rounding error
Large counters or IDs	BigInt	No precision limit for integers
Scientific notation	Number	Built-in floating-point support
Cryptographic values	BigInt	Handles arbitrarily large integers

See Also

• Value Representations — all value types

• NaN and Infinity — special numeric values (Number only)

• Numeric Types — numeric schemas and constraints