Quiz: Memory Management

Introduction

Quiz: Memory Management checks how well you can apply Stack vs heap and When to use calloc vs malloc (and related ideas) in C. Try each prompt in a scratch file before moving on.

Understanding the topic

Challenge 1 In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Stack vs heap.

Challenge 2 In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: When to use calloc vs malloc.

Challenge 3 In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Memory leak definition.

Challenge 4 In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: free after malloc.

• Challenge 1 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Stack vs heap.
• Challenge 2 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: When to use calloc vs malloc.
• Challenge 3 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Memory leak definition.
• Challenge 4 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: free after malloc.

Step-by-step explanation

1. Challenge 1 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Stack vs heap.
2. Challenge 2 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: When to use calloc vs malloc.
3. Challenge 3 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: Memory leak definition.
4. Challenge 4 — In your own words — or with a tiny program — show that you understand: free after malloc.

Execution workflow

Best practices

• Enable warnings: gcc -Wall -Wextra -std=c11 source.c -o app
• Give every variable a defined value before it is read.
• Stay inside array bounds — C will not stop you from over-running a buffer.

Common mistakes

• Reading uninitialized storage — behavior is undefined.
• Dismissing compiler warnings instead of fixing root causes.
• Ignoring NULL returns from malloc, fopen, and similar APIs.

Hands-on exercise

Practice problems:

• Build or explain: Stack vs heap
• Build or explain: When to use calloc vs malloc
• Build or explain: Memory leak definition
• Build or explain: free after malloc

Summary

Quiz: Memory Management in C — Self-check on ownership and heap rules.