AP® Computer Science A glossary

Object reference

Also called: reference, object address

Course: AP® Computer Science A Shows up in: Unit 1: Using Objects and Methods

The value a reference variable holds: it can be thought of as the memory address of the object.

Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 1.12.B.11.13.B.1

Assigning one reference variable to another copies the reference, not the object, so both refer to the same object.

Plant a = new Plant("Basil", 10);
Plant b = a;
b.grow(5);
System.out.println(a.getHeight());

Output:

15

Related terms

• Reference type
• null
• Object