How Does a Double Pointer Work with Arrays?

Remember, creating a pointer doesn't allocate memory. You need to use functions like `malloc()` to actually get memory allocated, whether you use a single or a double pointer. The size of pointers is consistent in modern systems (usually 64 bits), but they point to their own types. If you’re working with data structures, make sure you allocate memory correctly.

A double pointer is essentially a pointer to another pointer. If you just need a pointer to a continuous block of memory holding your structures, a single pointer will do the trick. Double pointers are usually used in scenarios like allocating memory in a function and passing that pointer back to the caller, where the double pointer will hold the address of this memory region. If you're simply indexing into an array, a single pointer is typically all you need.

In C/C++, an array decays into a pointer to its first element, which means if you have an array like `int a[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}`, you can treat it as a pointer `int *p = a`. A double pointer, like `int **pp`, points to this pointer, not to an array of pointers. So, it does not create a separate pointer for each element; instead, it simply gives you a way to track the first pointer that leads you to the array.