C++ is FULLY backward compatible with C, but that doesn't mean it's recommended to actually use C in C++. As Yakk said, you CAN use malloc and free, but if you are writing C++ code, you should as a general rule of thumb use new and delete. new is nicer to use, anyway, since it automagically deals with type issues, the size of the type, and as Yakk said, it calls the constructor if you are making a new object, and the destructor when you delete the object array.
Also I want to re-re-re-re-emphasize the fact that you should not be re-making any objects that already exist in the standard libraries. This is because, in all likelyhood, the standard libraries are implemented better than you could do it, and they can be specifically geared towards the OS and machine that you are compiling for without any changes to your code. Also, you don't have to document them or spend the time making them, and people will know how to read the code
