What potential error can occur when using mysql_num_rows() in PHP without passing the result variable?

When using mysql_num_rows() in PHP without passing the result variable, it can result in a warning or error because the function expects a valid result set as an argument. To solve this issue, you need to make sure to pass the result variable obtained from the MySQL query to mysql_num_rows().

// Incorrect usage without passing the result variable
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($query);

// Corrected code with passing the result variable
$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM table");
$num_rows = mysql_num_rows($result);