<?php
$whole = 42;
$decimal = 3.14;
$fromForm = "250";

var_dump(is_int($whole));       // bool(true)
var_dump(is_float($decimal));   // bool(true)
var_dump(is_numeric($fromForm)); // bool(true)
var_dump(is_int($fromForm));    // bool(false) - still a string
?>