Notes on Programming Basics Lecture

Introduction

• Lecturer: Vishwadeep Gauthier
• Channel: Unacademy Computer Science
• Topics Covered:
  • Strings and accessing them with pointers
  • Aliasing
  • Functions (to be covered in the next session)

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Strings

• Definition: A string is a sequence of characters.
• Array Initialization:
  • Integer arrays and character arrays can be initialized.
  • Example for character array: char ch[5] = {'H', 'E', 'L', 'L', 'O'};
  • Size can be omitted, and the compiler will determine it automatically based on initialized content.

Null Character in Strings

• Strings end with a null character represented as . This signifies the end of the string.
• Example: char str[] = "HELLO"; includes an implicit null character, making its size 6.

Accessing Strings

• Using pointers to access strings:
  • A pointer can point to the base address of a string.
  • To print a string pointed to by a pointer, use printf("%s", p); where p is the pointer.

Aliasing

• Definition: Giving multiple names to the same variable.
• Example: int a = 5; int *x = &a; // x is an alias for a
• Both a and x refer to the same memory location, and changes to one will reflect in the other.

Importance of Aliasing

• Useful in function calling: can pass variables by value or through references (aliasing).
• Practical applications in programming to manage variable names effectively.

Functions (To Be Covered in Next Lecture)

• Functions will be discussed in the next session, including function calling and its impact on programming paradigms.

Conclusion

• Last class on programming basics will be the next session.
• Data structures will be introduced afterward.
• Encouragement to join Unacademy for better preparation and resources.

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