C Debugging, Pointers, and Control

This unit deepens students’ ability to find and fix common C programming errors, use pointers safely in functions, and choose and refactor control structures for clarity and correctness. Students practice systematic debugging, incremental development, and input-handling techniques to produce more reliable, maintainable C programs.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze common syntax and runtime faults (e.g., missing semicolons/braces, missing break, dangerous loop semicolons, precedence errors, endless loops, scanf and streaming input issues) and describe the root cause and specific code fixes for each
• Apply debugging strategies and incremental development practices (compile-time warnings, whitespace and formatting, read-aloud code review, modular decomposition) to locate and correct defects and produce working C programs
• Demonstrate correct use of pointers and pointer parameters in functions, including appropriate assignment operators and safe input handling, by implementing functions that modify data and handle input without undefined behavior
• Evaluate and refactor control-flow constructs (if-else vs switch-case, ?: operator, comma expressions in for loops, switch fall-through) to improve program correctness, readability, and maintainability