1. Wildcard in Searches/File Names:
* Before: This indicates "any character" (or "zero or more characters") in a search or filename. For example:
* `*cat` would find files like "cat", "blackcat", "tomcat", etc.
* `c*t` would find files like "cat", "cot", "chit", etc.
* After: This indicates "any character" in a search or filename, but only for the last character. For example:
* `cat*` would find files like "cat", "cats", "cating", etc.
2. Footnotes:
* After: This is the standard way to mark footnotes in a document. For example:
* "The study was conducted in 2023.*" (The footnote is after the asterisk.)
3. Emphasis:
* Before and After: This is sometimes used for emphasis, particularly in online writing. For example:
* "This is *really* important."
4. Mathematical Notation:
* Before: An asterisk can represent multiplication in some mathematical contexts. For example:
* 5 * 2 = 10
5. Programming:
* Before and After: An asterisk can be used in different programming languages to indicate pointers, dereferencing, or other operations. The exact usage varies depending on the specific language.
Therefore, there's no single "right" answer to your question. The correct placement depends on the context.