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Pointer

A variable whose value is a memory address; dereferencing follows the address to the data it designates. Pointers enable indirection and shared access to one allocation, and misusing them (invalid, freed, or out-of-bounds addresses) is the root of most memory bugs.

Questions this Concept answers

Explain, in your own words, why passing a pointer to a function lets that function modify the caller's original data, while passing a value does not.

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How Pointers Reference Memory Addresses in Computer Science

A pointer is a reference — a value that stores the memory address of other data rather than the data itself — enabling indirect access and modification of data without copying it, in contrast to pass…