Chapter 9: Problem 22

When a program is finished with a chunk of dynamically allocated memory, it should free it with the __________ operator.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer: In C, the `free` function is used to free dynamically allocated memory, while in C++, the `delete` operator is used for the same purpose.

Step by step solution

Understand Dynamic Memory Allocation

In programming languages like C and C++, dynamic memory allocation is the process of assigning memory during program execution. It allows you to request memory during the runtime of the program and return it when it's no longer needed. Programs often request memory for variables or objects and release it when they are done with the memory.

Identifying the Operator for Freeing Memory

In C and C++, when a program is finished with a chunk of dynamically allocated memory, it should free it with the `free` (in case of C) or the `delete` (in case of C++) operator. Using these operators avoids memory leaks and prevents the program from consuming unnecessary memory resources during its execution. For C:

Allocate Memory

To allocate memory dynamically in C, you can use the `malloc` or `calloc` function. These functions return a pointer to the allocated memory block. For example: ```c int *ptr; ptr = (int*) malloc(5 * sizeof(int)); // Allocate memory for an array of 5 integers ```

Free Memory

After you have finished using the dynamically allocated memory, you should release it using the `free` function. This function takes the pointer to the memory block as its argument: ```c free(ptr); // Free the dynamically allocated memory ``` For C++:

Allocate Memory

In C++, you can use the `new` operator to allocate memory dynamically. Similar to the C functions, it returns a pointer to the memory block. For example: ```cpp int *ptr; ptr = new int[5]; // Allocate memory for an array of 5 integers ```

Free Memory

To free the memory in C++, you should use the `delete` operator followed by the pointer to the memory block. Here's an example: ```cpp delete[] ptr; // Free the dynamically allocated memory ``` It is important to note that you should always free dynamically allocated memory at the appropriate point in your program to avoid memory leaks.

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When a program is finished with a chunk of dynamically allocated memory, it should free it with the __________ operator.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understand Dynamic Memory Allocation

Identifying the Operator for Freeing Memory

Allocate Memory

Free Memory

Allocate Memory

Free Memory

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