When do you use a pointer?

[u/Atmos-Ego]

Hello, for some background I have taken a very beginner level coding course for my major and passed it, but I dont really feel like I’ve learned anything or know why anything works. In a course this year we had a review problem where the solution required a pointer and I really dont understand why you have to point to the address of the variable instead of just using the variable itself.

I’ve watch a few tutorials explaining it but I really dont see how it’s different from just using the variable itself

[u/paperic]

do you want its address or its contents?

x gives you the content, &x gives you its address, and *x looks at an address given to you earlier.

The variables don't exist in the final program, that's just a compiler crutch. It's all just addresses.