Make HowStuffWorks your homepage
Computer programmers write, test and implement code necessary to make certain functions happen on a computer. In this section, learn about programs like Perl and Java or how relational databases and algorithms work.
REFERENCE LINKS
Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
Brain, Marshall. "How C Programming Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/c.htm> 11 May 2008.
Inside This Article
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Dynamic Data Structures
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
Dynamic Data Structures
Dynamic data structures are data structures that grow and shrink as you need them to by allocating and deallocating memory from a place called the heap. They are extremely important in C because they allow the programmer to exactly control memory consumption.Dynamic data structures allocate blocks of memory from the heap as required, and link those blocks together into some kind of data structure using pointers. When the data structure no longer needs a block of memory, it will return the block to the heap for reuse. This recycling makes very efficient use of memory.
To understand dynamic data structures completely, we need to start with the heap.
PREVIOUS
Inside This Article
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
Dynamic Data Structures
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
More Options:
Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this How Stuff Works article:
Brain, Marshall. "How C Programming Works." 01 April 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/c.htm> 11 May 2008.
ADVERTISEMENT
EXPLANATIONS
EXPERT REVIEWS
PRICES
VIDEO SELECTIONS
-
TOP SELLING
C PROGRAMMING BOOKS
Release Date: September 01, 1993
$11 - $66
Release Date: November 07, 2007
$17 - $33
Release Date: December 01, 1997
$37 - $40