title: How to convert an integer to a string in Erlang?
body: <p>I know strings in Erlang can be costly to use. So how do I convert <code>"5"</code>to <code>5</code>?</p>
  
  <p>Is there anything like <code>io:format("~p",[5])</code> that would return a formatted string instead of printing to a stream?</p>