What are explicit casting instructions in PHP, and how do they affect data types in the code?

Explicit casting instructions in PHP refer to the process of converting a variable from one data type to another using specific casting functions or operators. This is useful when you need to ensure that a variable is of a certain data type before performing operations on it. Explicit casting can help prevent unexpected behavior or errors in your code by enforcing data type consistency.

// Example of explicit casting in PHP
$number = "10"; // $number is a string
$intNumber = (int) $number; // Explicitly cast $number to an integer
echo $intNumber; // Output: 10