What is the significance of using the intval() function in PHP when dealing with numeric values?

When dealing with numeric values in PHP, it is important to ensure that the values are treated as integers to avoid unexpected behavior or errors. The intval() function in PHP is used to explicitly convert a variable to an integer, removing any decimal points or non-numeric characters. This function is particularly useful when working with user input or database values that need to be treated as integers.

// Example of using intval() function to convert a variable to an integer
$number = "42.5";
$integerValue = intval($number);
echo $integerValue; // Output: 42