Scilab's int64() Function

Scilab's int64() function is designed to convert variables into a 64-bit integer format.

int64(x)

In this context, 'x' represents the numeric value slated for conversion.

This function processes and subsequently returns the value in a 64-bit integer format.

But what is a 64-bit integer? In essence, it's an integer that's represented using 64 individual bits. Each of these bits can adopt one of two states: zero or one. The most significant bit determines the sign of the number. With this configuration, the representation can accommodate integer values from -2⁶⁴ to 2⁶³, allowing for the representation of notably large numbers.

For clarity, consider the following example.

Assign a floating-point value to the variable 'x':

x = 123.456;

Now, apply the int64() function.

int64(x)

The function will yield the 64-bit integer value:

ans=
123

It's worth noting that while 64-bit integers might appear extensive, they can, in specific scenarios, offer greater memory efficiency than double-precision floating-point numbers.

However, it's crucial to remember that this function truncates any decimal values, which means a potential loss of data precision.