Is it necessary to multiply by sizeof( char ) when manipulating memory?

Question

When using malloc and doing similar memory manipulation can I rely on sizeof( char ) being always 1?

For example I need to allocate memory for N elements of type

Answer 1

While its not necessary, I consider it good practice to leave in the sizeof( char ) because it makes the code more readable and avoids the use of a magic number. Also, if the code needs to be changed later so that instead of a char it's mallocing the size of something into a pointer for that object, it's easier to change the code than if you have just a "1".