What are the potential pitfalls of using global variables in PHP programming, as mentioned in the forum thread?

Using global variables in PHP programming can lead to several potential pitfalls, such as making code harder to maintain, increasing the risk of naming conflicts, and reducing the reusability of functions. To avoid these issues, it is recommended to use other methods like passing variables as function parameters or using classes and objects for encapsulation.

// Avoid using global variables by passing variables as function parameters

function calculateTotal($price, $quantity) {
    return $price * $quantity;
}

$total = calculateTotal(10, 5);
echo $total;