Pointers and References

I suppose the easiest way to explain pointers and references is to jump right into an example. Let's first take a look at some Algebra:

In Algebra, when you use a variable, it is essentially a letter or designation that you use to store some number. In programming, the variable in the equation above must be on the left side. You've probably noticed by now that the compiler won't let you do something like this:

And if you didn't know this...now you know, and knowing is half the battle. The reason why you receive a compile-time error like "lvalue required in..." is because the left hand side of the equation, traditionally referred to as the lvalue, must be an address in memory. Think about it for a second. If you wanted to store some data somewhere, you first need to know where you're going to store it before the action can take place. The lvalue is the address of the place in memory where you're going to store the information and/or data of the right hand side of the equation, better known as the rvalue.

In C++, you will most likely at one point or another, deal with memory management. To manipulate addresses, C++ has two mechanisms: pointers and references.