Final answer:
In computer science, mimicking pass-by-reference parameters means that the value of the actual arguments passed to a function are addresses. This allows for direct modification of the original value within the function.
Step-by-step explanation:
In computer science, the concept of mimicking pass-by-reference parameters is often used when dealing with functions and procedures. When using pass-by-reference, the value of the actual arguments passed to the function are addresses. This means that instead of passing a copy of the value, the function receives a pointer to the memory location where the value is stored.
By using pass-by-reference, we can modify the original value directly within the function, rather than creating a new copy. This can be useful when we want to change the value of a variable outside of the function.
For example, let's say we have a function called 'swap' that takes two integer parameters by reference. If we call 'swap(a, b)', where 'a' and 'b' are variables, the function can swap the values of 'a' and 'b' directly without needing to return any values.