what's the purpose/point of the REAL() Datatype in mysql?

what's the purpose/point of the REAL() Datatype in mysql? You have float,double and decimal which i understand but where does the "real" datatype come into it? Any ideas?

Thank y开发者_开发技巧ou in advance ;-)

is real the same as float or double?

MySQL treats REAL as a synonym for DOUBLE, unless the REAL_AS_FLOAT SQL mode is enabled.

Source: MySQL 5.1 Reference Manual - Numeric Types

From the documentation:

MySQL also treats REAL as a synonym for DOUBLE PRECISION (a nonstandard variation), unless the REAL_AS_FLOAT SQL mode is enabled.

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/en/numeric-types.html

REAL is just another name for DOUBLE PRECISION.