Introduction:
In the C programming language, memory allocation is a crucial aspect as it allows the programmer to dynamically allocate memory during runtime. This enables the program to use memory efficiently and handle data structures of varying sizes. One of the operators used for dynamic memory allocation in C is the 'new' operator.

Explanation:
The 'new' operator in C++ is used for dynamic memory allocation, but it is not used in the C programming language. Instead, C uses the 'malloc' function from the standard library to allocate memory dynamically. The 'malloc' function stands for 'memory allocation' and is used to allocate a block of memory of a particular size.

Steps for using malloc:
To dynamically allocate memory using 'malloc', the following steps need to be followed:
1. Include the header file 'stdlib.h' which contains the declaration of the 'malloc' function.
2. Declare a pointer variable of the desired data type to hold the address of the dynamically allocated memory.
3. Use the 'malloc' function to allocate memory by specifying the size in bytes. The function returns a void pointer (void*) which needs to be typecasted to the appropriate data type.
4. Check if the memory allocation was successful by verifying if the pointer is not NULL.
5. Use the allocated memory for storing data or creating data structures.
6. After the dynamically allocated memory is no longer needed, it should be freed using the 'free' function to avoid memory leaks.

Example:
Here is an example demonstrating the use of the 'malloc' function for dynamic memory allocation in C:

```c
#include
#include

int main() {
int size;
printf("Enter the size of the array: ");
scanf("%d", &size);

int* dynamicArray = (int*)malloc(size * sizeof(int));
if (dynamicArray == NULL) {
printf("Memory allocation failed!");
return 0;
}

// Use the dynamically allocated memory
for (int i = 0; i < size;="" i++)="" />
dynamicArray[i] = i + 1;
printf("%d ", dynamicArray[i]);
}

// Free the dynamically allocated memory
free(dynamicArray);

return 0;
}
```

In the above example, the 'malloc' function is used to allocate memory for an array of integers. The size of the array is determined by user input. The allocated memory is then used to store and print the numbers from 1 to the size of the array. Finally, the memory is freed using the 'free' function.

Conclusion:
In C programming, the 'malloc' function is used for dynamic memory allocation. It allows programs to allocate memory of a desired size during runtime. The 'malloc' function returns a void pointer (void*) which can be typecasted to the appropriate data type. It is important to check if the memory allocation was successful and to free the allocated memory when it is no longer needed to avoid memory leaks.