Fixed-Point Versus Built-in Integer Types

There are several distinct differences between fixed-point data types and the built-in integer types in MATLAB^®. The most notable difference is that the built-in integer data types can only represent whole numbers, while the fixed-point data types also contain information on the position of the binary point, or the scaling of the number. This scaling allows the fixed-point data types to represent both integers and non-integers.

There are also slight differences in how math is performed with these types. Fixed-point types allow you to specify rules for math using the fimath object, including overflow and rounding modes. However, the built-in types have their own internal rules for arithmetic operations. See Integers for more information on how math is performed using built-in types.