What is a pointer?
Recall that all C++ variables are implemented as a sequence of (adjacent) bytes in the computer’s memory
Recall that sometimes the C++ system uses these memory addresses as names for variables (e.g. pass by reference or array parameters)
An address that is used to name a variable in this (by giving the address in memory where the variable starts) is called a pointer because the address can be thought of as “pointing” to the variable
The address “points” to the variable by telling where the variable is, rather than telling what the variable’s name is
In C++, such variables are known as pointers or pointer variables