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#Answer# The indirection operator, signified by an asterisk (*), is a programming tool used in languages like C and C++ to either access or modify the value stored in a memory address pointed to by a pointer variable. Its main function is to work with pointer variables by allowing access to the pointed value, not the memory address itself. For instance, it can be used for passing large data objects to functions more efficiently, working with arrays, or implementing data structures. For example, the indirection operator in the code 'int *ptr_number; ptr_number = &number printf("%d", *ptr_number);' is used to access the value pointed to by 'ptr_number', not its memory address. In this case, the value printed would be the value stored in 'number' and not the memory address of 'number'.