C Programming Exercises: Pointers, Arrays,
and Double Pointers
This document contains exercises on pointers, double pointers, arrays, and arrays of
pointers in C.
1. Basic Pointer Usage
Problem: Declare an integer and a pointer to it. Print the value and address.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int x = 10;
int *ptr = &x;
printf("Value of x: %d\n", *ptr);
printf("Address of x: %p\n", ptr);
return 0;
}
2. Modify Value Using Pointer
Problem: Write a function that modifies a variable using a pointer.
#include <stdio.h>
void modifyValue(int *ptr) {
*ptr = 50;
}
int main() {
int num = 10;
printf("Before: %d\n", num);
modifyValue(&num);
printf("After: %d\n", num);
return 0;
}
3. Swap Two Numbers Using Pointers
Problem: Swap two integers using pointers.
#include <stdio.h>
void swap(int *a, int *b) {
int temp = *a;
*a = *b;
*b = temp;
}
int main() {
int x = 5, y = 10;
printf("Before swap: x=%d, y=%d\n", x, y);
swap(&x, &y);
printf("After swap: x=%d, y=%d\n", x, y);
return 0;
}
4. Double Pointer Demonstration
Problem: Modify a value using a double pointer.
#include <stdio.h>
void modifyUsingDoublePointer(int **pp) {
**pp = 30;
}
int main() {
int x = 10;
int *ptr = &x;
int **pptr = &ptr;
printf("Before: %d\n", x);
modifyUsingDoublePointer(pptr);
printf("After: %d\n", x);
return 0;
}
5. Pointer Arithmetic on Arrays
Problem: Print an array using pointer arithmetic.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int arr[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
int *ptr = arr;
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
printf("%d ", *(ptr + i));
}
return 0;
}
6. Find Largest Element in an Array Using Pointers
Problem: Find the maximum element in an array.
#include <stdio.h>
int findMax(int *arr, int size) {
int max = *arr;
for (int i = 1; i < size; i++) {
if (*(arr + i) > max) {
max = *(arr + i);
}
}
return max;
}
int main() {
int numbers[] = {3, 7, 2, 8, 5};
printf("Max element: %d\n", findMax(numbers, 5));
return 0;
}
7. Array of Pointers
Problem: Store values using an array of pointers.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int a = 10, b = 20, c = 30;
int *arr[] = {&a, &b, &c};
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
printf("%d ", *arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
8. Array of String Pointers
Problem: Store and print a list of names using an array of character pointers.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
char *names[] = {"Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"};
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
printf("%s\n", names[i]);
}
return 0;
}
9. Sorting Strings Using Array of Pointers
Problem: Sort an array of strings.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
void sortStrings(char *arr[], int n) {
for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
for (int j = i + 1; j < n; j++) {
if (strcmp(arr[i], arr[j]) > 0) {
char *temp = arr[i];
arr[i] = arr[j];
arr[j] = temp;
}
}
}
}
int main() {
char *words[] = {"banana", "apple", "cherry"};
int n = 3;
sortStrings(words, n);
for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
printf("%s\n", words[i]);
}
return 0;
}
10. Array of Pointers Pointing to Elements of Another
Array
Problem: Create an array of pointers, where each pointer points to a different element
of another array.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int numbers[] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
int *ptrArray[5];
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
ptrArray[i] = &numbers[i];
}
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
printf("%d ", *ptrArray[i]);
}
return 0;
}
11. Array of Pointers Pointing to Selected Elements of
Another Array
Problem: Create an array of 10 integers, and an array of 5 pointers that point to
selected elements from the first array.
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int numbers[10] = {5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50};
int *ptrArray[5];
ptrArray[0] = &numbers[0];
ptrArray[1] = &numbers[2];
ptrArray[2] = &numbers[4];
ptrArray[3] = &numbers[6];
ptrArray[4] = &numbers[8];
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
printf("%d ", *ptrArray[i]);
}
return 0;
}
Conclusion
These exercises cover fundamental pointer concepts in C, including:
Pointer basics
Pointer arithmetic
Double pointers
Arrays and pointers
Sorting with pointers
Practice these problems to strengthen your understanding of pointers in C!
