Pointer may refer to:

People with the name

Pointer (surname) Pointer is a surname. Notable persons with the name include: * Aaron Pointer (born 1942), American baseball player * Anita Pointer (1948–2022), American singer-songwriter * Ben Pointer (born 1996), English rugby league player * Bonnie Pointer (19 ...

, a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Pointer Williams (born 1974), American former basketball player

Arts, entertainment, and media

* ''Pointer'' (journal), the official journal of the Singapore Armed Forces * '' The Pointer'', a 1939 American animated short film *

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

, an American R&B vocal group formed in 1969

Astronomy

Pairs of stars popularly called "The Pointers": *

Alpha Centauri Alpha Centauri (, α Cen, or Alpha Cen) is a star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus (constellation), Centaurus. It consists of three stars: Rigil Kentaurus (), Toliman (), and Proxima Centauri (). Proxima Centauri ...

and

Beta Centauri Beta Centauri is a triple star system in the southern constellation of Centaurus. It is officially called Hadar (). The Bayer designation of Beta Centauri is Latinised from β Centauri, and abbreviated Beta Cen or β Cen. The syst ...

, which point to the Southern Cross *

Alpha Ursae Majoris Dubhe is a multiple star system in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. It is formally designated Alpha Ursae Majoris, Latinisation of names, Latinised from α Ursae Majoris, Despite being designated "α" (alpha), it is the sec ...

(Dubhe) and

Beta Ursae Majoris Merak , also called Beta Ursae Majoris (β Ursae Majoris, abbreviated Beta UMa, β UMa), is a star in the northern constellation of Ursa Major. The apparent visual magnitude of this star is +2.37, which means it is readil ...

(Merak), which point to Polaris

Brands and enterprises

* Pointer (wireless phone), a short-lived mobile phone service in Finland in the 1980s * Pointer Insecticide, a brand of injected

Imidacloprid Imidacloprid is a systemic insecticide belonging to a class of chemicals called the neonicotinoids which act on the central nervous system of insects. The chemical works by interfering with the transmission of stimuli in the insect nervous system. ...

for systemic insect control in trees * Pointer Telocation, an Israeli company specializing in stolen vehicle recovery

Computing and technology

Pointer (computer programming) In computer science, a pointer is an object in many programming languages that stores a memory address. This can be that of another value located in computer memory, or in some cases, that of memory-mapped computer hardware. A pointer ''re ...

, a data type used in programming *

Pointer (user interface) In human–computer interaction, a cursor is an indicator used to show the current position on a computer monitor or other display device that will respond to input, such as a text cursor or a mouse pointer. Etymology ''Cursor'' is Latin for ...

, the graphical image which echoes movements of the pointing device, commonly a mouse or touchpad

Devices

* Pointer (rod), an object used to point manually * Pointer, a

dial indicator In various contexts of science, technology, and manufacturing (such as machining, metal fabrication, fabricating, and additive manufacturing), an indicator is any of various instruments used to accurately measure small distances and angles, and w ...

, that points to a value on a dial or scale * Pointer, a kind of pencil sharpener used for diameter lead *

Pointing stick A pointing stick (or trackpoint, also referred to generically as a nub, nipple or clitmouse) is a small analog stick used as a pointing device typically mounted centrally in a computer keyboard. Like other pointing devices such as mice, touchp ...

, an isometric joystick used as a pointing device

Dog breeds

Pointer (dog breed) The Pointer, sometimes called the English Pointer, is a medium-sized breed of pointing dog developed in England. Pointers are used to find game for hunters, and are considered by gundog enthusiasts to be one of the finest breeds of its type; ...

, the English type *

Pointing breed Pointing dogs, sometimes called bird dogs, are a type of gundog typically used in finding game. Gundogs are traditionally divided into three classes: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. The name ''pointer'' comes from the dog's i ...

, a group of breeds of hunting dog trained to point at prey

Places

Pointer, Kentucky Pointer is an unincorporated community in Pulaski County, Kentucky. History A post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcel ...

Pointers, New Jersey Mannington Township is a Township (New Jersey), township in Salem County, New Jersey, Salem County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 1,475, a decrease of 331 (−18.3%) from the ...

The Pointers The Pointers is a pair of rocks off the northwest coast of Rugged Island, lying between Eddystone Rocks and Start Point, Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. The rocks were known to 19th century sealers who named them ...

, a pair of rocks off Antarctica

Transport

FQM-151 Pointer The AeroVironment FQM-151 Pointer is a small UAV used by the United States Army and Marine Corps for battlefield surveillance. It was designed by AeroVironment Incorporated, formerly led by Paul MacCready, noted for such pioneering aircraft ...

, a small unmanned aerial vehicle ⋅ *

Plaxton Pointer The Plaxton Pointer (originally known as the Reeve Burgess Pointer, and later as the TransBus Pointer and Alexander Dennis Pointer) is a single-deck midibus body that was manufactured between 1991 and 2006, predominantly on the Dennis Dart chas ...

, a single-decker bus body * Volkswagen Pointer, a Brazilian car (built in the 1990s)

Other uses

* Point man, one who takes the front position in a combat military formation