C++ Fundamentals

A pointer in C/C++ is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. It does not store the data itself, but rather the location where the data resides.

Array elements are accessed by their position in the array, which is specified using an index number enclosed in square brackets. The index starts at 0 for the first element.

In C++, a variable defined within a block (enclosed by curly braces) has block scope. It is only accessible from the point of its declaration until the end of that specific block.

A copy constructor is invoked when an object is returned by value from a function, as a temporary object is created and copied to the caller. While passing by value also invokes a copy constructor, returning by value is a classic scenario where this occurs.

Function overloading allows multiple functions to share the same name provided they have different parameter lists (different number or types of arguments). This improves code readability and reuse.

The 'new' operator in C++ allocates memory dynamically on the heap and returns the address of the allocated memory, which is stored in a pointer variable.

The 'break' statement is used to terminate the execution of the nearest enclosing loop (for, while, do-while) or switch statement. It does not exit nested loops or switches beyond the immediate one.

Relational operators (such as <, >, ==, !=) are used to compare two operands and return a boolean result (true or false) based on the relationship between them.

Inheritance allows a new class (derived class) to acquire the properties and behaviors of an existing class (base class), effectively creating more specific versions of general classes.

A function defined inside a class is referred to as a member function. It has access to the private and protected members of the class.

In C-style strings (character arrays), the first element of the array is the first character of the string. The string is terminated by a null character.

In multi-dimensional arrays, each dimension's index is enclosed in its own set of square brackets (e.g., array[i][j]).

The scope resolution operator (::) is used to specify which class or namespace a member belongs to, thereby resolving ambiguity when multiple entities share the same name.

Asynchronous exceptions are caused by events external to the program, such as hardware interrupts or user input, which the program cannot predict or control directly.

Manipulators (like setw, setprecision, endl) are used in C++ input/output streams to format the way data is displayed or read.

In C++, string literals are enclosed in double quotation marks, whereas character constants are enclosed in single quotation marks.

The 'void' keyword is used to indicate that a function does not return a value or that a pointer is generic (void pointer). It signifies the absence of a specific type.

In C++, the throw keyword is used to signal that an exception has occurred. Try and catch are used to handle the exception, while struct is a data structure definition.

Keywords are reserved words in a programming language that have a predefined meaning and cannot be used as identifiers for variables, functions, or classes.

The goto statement is an unconditional jump that transfers program control to a labeled statement within the same function.

A friend function is a function that is not a member of a class but is granted access to the private and protected members of that class. This allows it to interact with the class data without being part of the class interface.

A linked list is a linear data structure where elements are not stored in contiguous memory locations. Each element (node) contains data and a pointer (or reference) to the next node in the sequence.

In C++, a stream is an abstraction that represents a device on which input and output operations are performed. It acts as a flow of data between a source and a destination.

The operator != is the standard comparison operator in C++ and many other languages to check if two values are not equal.