How do floating-point variables differ from integer variables?

Floating-point variables are specifically designed to handle real numbers and can represent values that include fractions and decimals. This capability allows for a much broader range of numeric values compared to integer variables, which are limited to whole numbers without any fractional components.

The ability of floating-point variables to store numbers like 3.14 or 0.001 is crucial in many applications, particularly in fields that require precision in calculations, such as scientific computing, engineering, and financial analysis. This flexibility in representing numbers is what differentiates floating-point variables from integer variables, which can only represent whole numbers (such as -2, 0, 5) and are inadequate for scenarios where precision with fractional values is required.

Thus, the strength of floating-point variables lies in their capacity to encompass a wider variety of numerical expressions, including those that cannot be accurately conveyed as counts or whole numbers.