Q5: What are Primitive Data Types versus Reference Types in Java?
- Primitive Types (8 total):
byte,short,int,long,float,double,char,boolean. They store raw binary values directly on the stack or inline inside heap objects. - Reference Types: Objects, Arrays, Interfaces, and Enums. They store memory addresses (references) pointing to heap-allocated object instances.
Key Takeaways
- Primitives hold raw values directly; Reference types hold memory address references to heap objects.
- Primitives cannot be
null; Reference variables default tonull.
Knowledge Check
Which of the following is NOT a Java primitive data type?