Number literals include exact-value (integer and DECIMAL) literals and approximate-value (floating-point) literals.

Integers are represented as a sequence of digits. Numbers may include . as a decimal separator. Numbers may be preceded by - or + to indicate a negative or positive value, respectively. Numbers represented in scientific notation with a mantissa and exponent are approximate-value numbers.

Exact-value numeric literals have an integer part or fractional part, or both. They may be signed. Examples: 1, .2, 3.4, -5, -6.78, +9.10.

Approximate-value numeric literals are represented in scientific notation with a mantissa and exponent. Either or both parts may be signed. Examples: 1.2E3, 1.2E-3, -1.2E3, -1.2E-3.

Two numbers that look similar may be treated differently. For example, 2.34 is an exact-value (fixed-point) number, whereas 2.34E0 is an approximate-value (floating-point) number.

The DECIMAL data type is a fixed-point type and calculations are exact. In MySQL, the DECIMAL type has several synonyms: NUMERIC, DEC, FIXED. The integer types also are exact-value types. For more information about exact-value calculations, see Section 12.25, “Precision Math”.

The FLOAT and DOUBLE data types are floating-point types and calculations are approximate. In MySQL, types that are synonymous with FLOAT or DOUBLE are DOUBLE PRECISION and REAL.

An integer may be used in a floating-point context; it is interpreted as the equivalent floating-point number.