How do primitive types differ from reference types (reference type vs value type)?

Primitive types (value types) store data directly, while reference types store a reference to the memory area where the data is located.

For example, in languages like C# or Java:

• Primitive types: int, float, bool — copying the value when assigned.
• Reference types: objects, arrays — copying the reference, not the data itself.

This affects behavior when passing to functions and assigning: changing a primitive type inside a function does not affect the original, but changing an object through a reference reflects on the original object.