Assuming that ptr is a pointer to an int, what happens when you add 4 to ptr?

In the C++ programming language, a pointer is a powerful tool used to directly manipulate the memory of the computer. A pointer variable stores the address of another variable; it 'points' to the location where the data is held.

When working with pointers, one must comprehend the type to which the pointer is pointing, as this determines how the pointer will behave during arithmetic operations. In the context of our exercise, ptr is a pointer to an int. When you modify the value of ptr, such as adding a number to it, you aren't changing the int value that ptr points to, but rather the actual address value stored in ptr.

Why would one do this? Because sometimes you need to step through an array or fetch a specific element efficiently, and manipulating pointers allows you to do this directly at the memory level. This brings us to the topic of pointer arithmetic and how performing operations such as adding an integer to a pointer affects it.

What is a Memory Address?

A memory address is essentially the unique identifier for a byte in memory. In system architecture, each memory cell has an address, much like houses on a street. When a program needs to store or retrieve data, it uses these addresses as references.

In pointer arithmetic, as seen in our example with adding 4 to a pointer, it's this address that's being altered. C++ uses memory addresses as a way to access and manipulate data in a very controlled, yet flexible manner. The beauty of pointers is that they give a program direct access to these memory addresses, which is crucial for various operations, especially those involving arrays or dynamic memory allocation.

The memory space of a running C++ program is often represented as a large array of bytes, where each byte can be uniquely identified by its memory address. When you understand how pointers reflect these addresses, you become better equipped to write more efficient and powerful code.

Understanding Data Types Size

The data types in C++, such as int, float, double, or char, have different sizes because they are designed to hold different ranges or types of values.

When we talk about the size of a data type, like in our exercise where int is said to typically be 4 bytes, we are referring to how much memory space a single value of this data type will occupy. On most modern systems and compilers, an int is indeed 4 bytes. However, this can vary across different systems or environments.

This knowledge is crucial when performing pointer arithmetic, as adding one to an int pointer will move the pointer ahead by the size of an int (4 bytes in our exercise). As such, incrementing a pointer by '4' (as an integer) will logically move it 4 * 4 = 16 bytes ahead, because pointer arithmetic is scaled by the size of the type to which the pointer refers.

It is also why one must be cautious and aware of the types when writing pointer arithmetic to avoid stepping out of bounds and causing undefined behavior or accessing incorrect memory locations.