Addresses
This article is quite advanced and assumes you have an understanding of C++. If not, please refer to the C++ section of this book!
In C++, the ampersand (&) symbol is the address-of operator, used to obtain the memory address of a variable. The memory address represents the location in the computer’s memory where the variable is stored.
int someVar = 69;
int* somePtr = &someVar; // Pointer now holds the address of someVar
int value = *somePtr; // Retrieves the value stored at the memory address
The memory address is typically represented as a hexadecimal number.
#include <iostream>
int main()
{
int someAddress = 69;
// Print out the memory address of the variable
std::cout << "Address: " << &someAddress << std::endl;
return someAddress;
}
// Output:
// Address: 0x7ffee47a1a2c
Note that the specific memory address will vary each time, based on system architecture, OS, resources, etc. Addresses can also be manipulated using arithmetic operations, especially with pointers.