title: Why do you need to append an L or F after a value assigned to a C++ constant?
body: <p>I have looked at quite a few places online and can't seem to find a good explanation as to <em>why</em> we should append an F or L after a value assigned to a C++ constant. For example:</p>
  
  <pre><code>const long double MYCONSTANT = 3.0000000L;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Can anyone explain why that is necessary? Doesn't the type declaration imply the value assigned to MYCONSTANT is a long double? What is the difference between the above line and</p>
  
  <pre><code>const long double MYCONSTANT = 3.0000000;        // no 'L' appended
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Whew!</p>