Pointers

Overview

A pointer is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. The asterisk `*` denotes a pointer type.

Syntax

cpp

int x = 10;
int* ptr = &x; // ptr holds the address of x

double pi = 3.14;
double* dPtr = &pi;

Common Pitfalls

Declaring multiple pointers on one line can be tricky: `int* p1, p2;` makes `p1` a pointer, but `p2` a regular integer. Use `int *p1, *p2;`.

Interview Tips

The type of the pointer MUST match the type of the variable it points to. An `int*` points to an `int`.
The size of a pointer itself is dependent on the architecture (usually 8 bytes on a 64-bit system, 4 bytes on a 32-bit system) regardless of what it points to.

Real-World Example

Declaring and initializing pointers safely.

example

cpp

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int score = 100;
    int* scorePtr = &score; // points to score
    
    cout << "Pointer holds address: " << scorePtr << endl;
    return 0;
}

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