Min and Max value of integral type in C#

Question

Whats the mathematical formulae to calculate the MIN and MAX value of an integral type using your calculator. I know you can use Integer.Max or Integer.Min etc or look it up on msdn however I want to know how to calculate it.

Answer 1

For unsigned types:

• Min value = 0
• Max value = (2 ** (number of bits)) - 1

So, for UInt32:

Min value = 0

Max value = (2 ** 32) - 1
          = 4294967296 - 1
          = 4294967295

For signed types:

• Min value = 0 - (2 ** (number of bits - 1))
• Max value = (2 ** (number of bits - 1)) - 1

So, for Int32:

Min value = 0 - (2 ** (32 - 1))
          = 0 - (2 ** 31)
          = 0 - 2147483648
          = -2147483648

Max value = (2 ** (32 - 1)) - 1
          = (2 ** 31) - 1
          = 2147483648 - 1
          = 2147483647