Which of the following is a characteristic of floating-point variables?

Floating-point variables are specifically designed to handle a wide range of values, including both very large and very small numbers. They excel at representing fractional values, which makes them ideal for calculations involving real numbers, such as measurements that require precision beyond whole numbers. This characteristic allows for the representation of numbers that include decimals, such as 3.5 or 0.123, enabling programmers to perform arithmetic on data that may not be represented as integers.

The other choices do not correctly describe floating-point variables. For instance, they are not limited to integer values, as indicated in the first option. Floating-point variables can indeed represent negative numbers, which directly contradicts the third option. Lastly, floating-point representation inherently involves approximation; they do not always represent exact values due to the way they store numbers in binary format, making it impossible in some cases to accurately represent certain decimal fractions, as mentioned in the fourth option. This understanding is crucial for anyone working with numerical data in programming, particularly in fields requiring high precision.