Final answer:
The heap is the area of memory in a program located above the program code and global data, which grows up, and is used for dynamic memory allocation, whereas the stack grows down and is used for static memory allocation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The heap is typically located above the program code and global data and grows up in memory (while the stack grows down toward it). The heap is a region of a program's memory that is used for dynamic memory allocation, where variables are allocated and deallocated on the fly during the execution of a program. Conversely, the stack is used for static memory allocation which includes function call stack with local variables that get popped off the stack once the function returns.
In computing, the memory is generally segmented into four major areas: the text segment for program code, the data segment for global variables, the heap for dynamic memory allocation, and the stack for static memory allocation. The heap and stack are particularly important in low-level programming languages like C or C++, where the programmer manually controls memory allocation and deallocation.
Understanding the concept of heap and stack is crucial for optimizing memory usage and preventing memory leaks or stack overflow, which are common issues in software development.