The math.type() function returns the type of a number. It determines whether a given value is an integer, a float (real number), or not a number at all.

Syntax

math.type(x)

Parameters

• x: A number or value whose type you want to determine.

Return Value

• Returns "integer" if x is an integer.
• Returns "float" if x is a float (real number).
• Returns nil if x is not a number (e.g., NaN, nil, or non-numeric values).

Description

The math.type function checks the provided value x and returns a string indicating its type. If x is a valid integer, it returns "integer". If x is a valid float, it returns "float". If x is not a valid number, it returns nil.

Examples

Basic usage of math.type()

print(math.type(42))        -- Output: "integer"
print(math.type(3.14))      -- Output: "float"
print(math.type(-0.5))      -- Output: "float"
print(math.type(0))         -- Output: "integer"
print(math.type(5.0))       -- Output: "float"
print(math.type(math.huge))  -- Output: "float"
print(math.type("42"))      -- Output: nil (string is not a number)
print(math.type(nil))       -- Output: nil
print(math.type(math.nan))  -- Output: nil (NaN is not a valid number)

See also

• math.tointeger()
• math.isinteger()