AI engineering glossary · Computing foundations
What is pointer?
Pointer: A value that stores the memory address of another piece of data instead of the data itself. Pointers let programs share and pass large objects cheaply, and many languages, including Python, use similar references behind the scenes.
Pointer: an example
If a variable holds address 0x7ffe10, reading through that pointer fetches the value stored at that location.
Related terms
More Computing foundations terms
- Port
- Precision
- Process
- Process ID
- Public-key cryptography
- Race condition
- Random access memory
- Reference counting
Where you learn it
Pointer is part of the AI Engineering Program, which teaches it with notes, a hands-on lab and an exam. The first lesson is free.