Arizona State University (ASU) CSE100 Principles of Programming with C++ Midterm 1 Practice Exam

In C++, casting is the process of converting one data type into another, and it can be performed in two main ways: implicit and explicit.

Implicit casting occurs automatically when the compiler can safely convert one type to another without needing any additional syntax. This is often referred to as "type promotion" or "type coercion." For example, when an integer is assigned to a floating-point variable, the compiler automatically converts the integer to a float without requiring any specific instructions from the programmer.

Explicit casting, on the other hand, requires the programmer to specify the conversion. This is done using casting operators such as `static_cast`, `dynamic_cast`, `const_cast`, or `reinterpret_cast`. Explicit casting is necessary when a conversion might lead to data loss or when converting between incompatible types, ensuring that the programmer is intentionally performing the operation.

The other options, while they mention different terminologies related to casting, do not accurately capture the standard terminology used in C++. For instance, "manual" and "automatic" do not reflect the precise definitions of casting in C++, and terms like "static" and "dynamic" refer specifically to particular types of explicit casting rather than describing the broader categories of implicit and explicit casting. Understanding these two categories—implicit and