What role does the % symbol play in the sprintf function in PHP, and how can it impact the number of arguments required?

The % symbol in the sprintf function in PHP is used as a placeholder for where variables should be inserted into the formatted string. The % symbol is followed by a character that indicates the type of variable being inserted (e.g., %s for string, %d for integer). If the number of placeholders in the sprintf format string does not match the number of arguments provided, it will result in an error.

// Example of using sprintf with placeholders and arguments
$name = "Alice";
$age = 30;
$formattedString = sprintf("My name is %s and I am %d years old.", $name, $age);
echo $formattedString;