Pointers (Malloc() and free())

Question 1

What is a pointer?

Answer 1

Recall that the value of a pointer is a memory address. Dereferencing (*) a pointer gives you the value being held in that memory address.

Question 2

What does malloc stand for?

Answer 2

Memory allocation

Question 3

What does malloc() do?

Answer 3

Dynamically allocates a block of memory during runtime.
Returns a pointer to the first byte of the allocated memory.
Memory is not initialized; it contains garbage values.
void* malloc(size_t size);

Question 4

What does free() do?

Answer 4

Deallocates memory previously allocated using malloc()
Prevents memory leaks by releasing unused memory.
void free(void* ptr);

Question 5

What are some common errors when using malloc and/or free?

Answer 5

Forgetting to use free() with malloc()
Accessing memory after it’s been freed.
Not checking for NULL after malloc().
Incorrect memory allocation size (e.g., forgetting to use sizeof()).