See edit below. C99 allows greater precision than required by the type! Hmm, you're right. I think something similar bit me long ago and left me under impress

See edit below. C99 allows greater precision than required by the type! Hmm, you're right. I think something similar bit me long ago and left me under impression f-suffix for a float is not portable. Perhaps it's time to read the standard through once again... Then again, explicit casts generate code that works on all compilers, standards compliant or not. Edit: C99, 6.3.1.8.2: "The values of floating operands and of the results of floating expressions may be represented in greater precision and range than that required by the type; the types are not changed thereby." So I guess explicit floating point casts are needed when explicit operations are wanted!