size of pointer array

Size of Pointer Array in C++

In C++, the size of a pointer array is determined by the number of elements it can hold. The size of the array is fixed at the time of declaration and cannot be changed during runtime.

Explanation for Each Step

1. Declaration of Pointer Array:
2. When declaring a pointer array in C++, the size of the array is specified within square brackets after the data type.

3. For example, int* ptrArray[10]; declares an array of 10 integer pointers.

4. Size Determination:

5. The size of the pointer array is determined by the number specified within the square brackets during declaration.

6. For instance, in the example int* ptrArray[10];, the size of the pointer array is 10, meaning it can hold 10 integer pointers.

7. Fixed Size:

8. Once the size of the pointer array is set during declaration, it remains fixed and cannot be changed during the program's execution.

9. Usage:

10. Pointer arrays are commonly used to store addresses of variables or dynamically allocated memory locations.

11. Example:

12. Below is an example of declaring and using a pointer array in C++: ```cpp #include using namespace std;

    int main() { int* ptrArray[5]; // Declaring an array of 5 integer pointers int num = 10;

     for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
         ptrArray[i] = &num; // Assigning the address of 'num' to each element of the pointer array
     }
    
     // Accessing the elements of the pointer array
     for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
         cout << "Element " << i << ": " << *ptrArray[i] << endl; // Dereferencing and printing the value
     }
    
     return 0;
    

    } ```

13. Dynamic Memory Allocation:

14. In C++, dynamic memory allocation can be used to create pointer arrays of variable sizes at runtime using the new keyword.

15. Benefits:

16. Pointer arrays provide flexibility in managing memory and are commonly used in various data structures and algorithms.

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