This chapter discusses converting each of the system data types described in Chapter 2 “Formatting Data Types”to each of the others.
Data is information structured in forms that the computer is designed to process. Data conversion is translating that information into another acceptable structure without losing meaning.
If you pass data between routines that do not use the same types or formats, you lose meaning and integrity. The receiving routine may not be able to read the data at all. It may divide the bits it reads into the wrong size chunks. It may interpret the arrangement of bits by its own formatting conventions. The resulting misinterpretation could convey information you did not intend and give you unpredictable results in computations.
