Pointer arithmetic
Pointer arithmetic computes pointer values by applying offsets relative to pointed-to elements or by finding differences between related pointers.
Modern C, Third Edition
Pointer arithmetic is the C operation of forming pointer values by adding or subtracting integer offsets relative to elements of an array object.
- How it is used
- Uses pointer offsets to traverse array elements and express positions or stopping boundaries in pointer-based interfaces.
- How deep it goes
- Defines addition, subtraction, one-past boundaries, same-array requirements, and ptrdiff_t, while deferring broader pointer mechanics.
- Examples
- Demonstrates forward and reverse summation, one-based subarray starts, infinite-element diagnostics, and same-array pointer differences.
- What you can do after
- Apply it to traverse arrays, calculate element distances, and diagnose invalid pointer relationships without confusing pointers with arrays.
Read how Modern C, Third Edition explains pointer arithmetic →
100 C++ Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Pointer arithmetic is the calculation of pointer values by adding or subtracting element-based offsets.
- How it is used
- Explains why generic base-pointer functions cannot safely process arrays of derived objects.
- How deep it goes
- Traces indexing to byte offsets and demonstrates incorrect reads and destruction, then stops at a type-preserving template correction.
- Examples
- Uses integer indexing, base and derived classes, printed output, array deletion, and a type-preserving template rewrite.
- What you can do after
- Diagnose array bugs caused by base-sized pointer steps and preserve element types when writing array-processing functions.
Read how 100 C++ Mistakes and How to Avoid Them explains pointer arithmetic →
Modern C
Pointer arithmetic is the C operation of adding or subtracting an integer offset from a pointer or computing the difference between pointers into the same array.
- How it is used
- Uses pointer arithmetic to traverse arrays and express subarray interfaces in C functions.
- How deep it goes
- Explains addition, subtraction, difference types, bounds, one-past pointers, and dereference restrictions through worked loops.
- Examples
- Demonstrates forward and reverse summation, subarray calls, one-past dereferencing errors, and same-array pointer differences.
- What you can do after
- Apply it to implement forward, reverse, and subarray traversals while preserving lengths and avoiding invalid pointer operations.
Related concepts
- Gocontrasts with · Go is a statically typed, compiled, garbage-collected programming language with built-in support for concurrency.
- arrayused by · An array is an indexed, ordered collection of elements arranged in one or more dimensions, with elements accessed by position.
- indexingequivalent to · Indexing is the organization or use of positions, keys, or lookup structures to identify and retrieve selected data or elements.
- offsetuses · An offset is a position or displacement measured relative to a reference point, such as within an ordered sequence, memory region, or layout.
- training loopuses · A training loop is an iterative procedure that processes training data, evaluates a model objective, and updates model parameters to improve performance.
- referenceproduces · A reference is an indirect value or relationship that identifies or provides access to another value, object, resource, or source.
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