fixnum

Fixnum is a data type used in some programming languages, notably Ruby, to represent fixed-precision integers. These are integers whose size is limited by the architecture of the computer, typically 32 or 64 bits. This means that Fixnums have a maximum and minimum value they can hold. Operations performed on Fixnums are usually very fast because they can be directly handled by the computer's arithmetic logic unit. When an integer operation results in a value that exceeds the limits of a Fixnum, it is automatically converted to a different integer type, such as Bignum in Ruby, which can handle arbitrarily large integers at the cost of performance. The distinction between Fixnum and Bignum is an implementation detail that is largely transparent to the programmer, as both behave like standard integers. Understanding Fixnum is important for performance-sensitive programming and for grasping the underlying mechanisms of integer representation in certain languages.