10 pounds of data in a 5 pound bag

When you declare your variable as one type, that’s how your compiler looks at it. Even if the value is nowhere near the upper boundary of the type you’ve declared, the compiler will see the cup it’s in, not the number inside. So this won’t work:

int leaguesUnderTheSea = 20000;

short smallerLeagues = leaguesUnderTheSea;

20,000 would fit into a short, no problem. But since leaguesUnderTheSea is declared as an int, the compiler sees it as int-sized and considers it too big to put in a short container. The compiler won’t make those translations for you on the fly. You need to make sure that you’re using the right type for the data you’re working with.

int hours = 24;

short y = 78000;

bool isDone = yes;

short RPM = 33;

int balance = 345667 - 567;

string taunt = "your mother";

byte days = 365;

long radius = 3;

char initial = 'S';

string months = "12";