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There is definitely a difference between a "reference" per C++ definition and a pointer. The choice of the term, "reference" for C++, was a little shaky, as pointers, labels, nicknames, aliases, are ALL references. However, one cannot pass a "reference" (as defined in C++) in C. The "&" operator is strictly an address-of operator and the use inside the function has to be the same as when dereferencing a pointer. In C++, on the other hand, a "reference" is an alias and a passed reference amounts to one fewer levels of indirection.
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