Explain the concept of the malloc() and free() functions in memory allocation.

Explain the concept of the malloc() and free() functions in memory allocation.

The malloc() and free() functions are used in memory allocation in operating systems.

The malloc() function is used to dynamically allocate memory during program execution. It takes the size of the memory block to be allocated as an argument and returns a pointer to the starting address of the allocated memory block. This function is commonly used when the size of the memory required is not known at compile time or when the memory needs to be allocated dynamically.

The free() function is used to deallocate the memory that was previously allocated using malloc(). It takes the pointer to the memory block as an argument and frees up the memory, making it available for reuse. It is important to free the allocated memory when it is no longer needed to prevent memory leaks and optimize memory usage.

Together, the malloc() and free() functions provide a way to dynamically allocate and deallocate memory during program execution, allowing for efficient memory management in operating systems.