Final answer:
A) accessor function in a class is used to access the value of data members without modifying them, maintaining encapsulation in object-oriented programming.
Step-by-step explanation:
A member function of a class that only accesses the value(s) of the data member(s) is called an accessor function. The purpose of an accessor, also known as a getter, is to retrieve the state information of an object without modifying it. This is in contrast to a mutator (or setter) function, which changes the value of one or more data members.
Accessors are an important part of the object-oriented programming principle of encapsulation which ensures better control over the data by restricting direct access to it.
A member function of a class that only accesses the value(s) of the data member(s) is called an accessor function.
An accessor function is a type of member function that does not modify the data members of a class but rather provides read-only access to them. It typically returns the value of a private data member using a getter method, allowing clients to retrieve the value without directly accessing the data member.
For example, in a class representing a person with a private data member for their age, the accessor function would be a method that returns the age value without modifying it, such as a getAge() function.