Arrays

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Definition and types of arrays.

Definition of an Array: An array is a collection of data values of the same type, stored in contiguous memory locations, and identified by a common name.
Declaration of an Array: To use an array, you must declare it. The declaration specifies the type of data that the array will hold, as well as its size.
Initializing an Array: Initialization refers to the process of setting the initial values of the array elements.
Accessing Array Elements: Array elements can be accessed by using their index value, which is a numerical value that indicates the position of the element in the array.
Multidimensional Arrays: A multidimensional array is an array that contains more than one dimension.
Array Operations: Array operations include sorting, searching, merging, and various other operations that can be performed on arrays.
Arrays in Loops: Arrays are often used in loops, as they provide an efficient way of processing large amounts of data.
Dynamic Arrays: A dynamic array is an array that is allocated at runtime, rather than at compile time.
Array Length: The length of an array is the number of elements that it contains.
Using Arrays in Functions: Arrays can be passed as arguments to functions, and can also be returned by functions.
Arrays in Object-Oriented Programming: Arrays are often used in object-oriented programming, where they can be used to store and manipulate data.
Common Errors in Array Programming: Common errors in array programming include out-of-bounds errors, uninitialized arrays, and other issues that can arise when working with arrays.
Arrays in Built-in Libraries: Many programming languages include built-in libraries that provide array support, including functions for manipulating and processing arrays.
Static Array: This is an array whose size is predetermined and cannot be changed at runtime. It is also known as a fixed-size array.
Dynamic Array: This is an array whose size can be changed at runtime. It's also called a resizable array.
Associative Array: Also known as a map, dictionary, or hash table. In an associative array, data is stored in key-value pairs, and you can access data using the key.
Multi-dimensional Array: This is an array with more than one dimension. For example, a two-dimensional array can be used to represent a matrix or grid.
Jagged Array: This is an array of arrays where the length of each subarray can vary. It's also called an array of arrays.
Parallel Array: In a parallel array, each element of the array corresponds to an element of another array. For example, you can have an array of names and an array of ages, with each name corresponding to an age.
Typed Array: A typed array is an array where each element has a specific data type, such as integers or floating-point numbers.
Circular Array: A circular array is an array where the last element is connected to the first element, creating a loop structure.
Bit Array: A bit array is an array of binary values, where each element is a bit (0 or 1).
Sparse Array: In a sparse array, most of the elements are empty (null or undefined). It's used when the size of the array is large, and most of the elements are unnecessary.
"In computer science, an array is a data structure consisting of a collection of elements (values or variables), of same memory size, each identified by at least one array index or key."
"An array is stored such that the position of each element can be computed from its index tuple by a mathematical formula."
"The simplest type of data structure is a linear array, also called one-dimensional array."
"For example, an array of ten 32-bit (4-byte) integer variables, with indices 0 through 9, may be stored as ten words at memory addresses 2000, 2004, 2008, ..., 2036, (in hexadecimal: 0x7D0, 0x7D4, 0x7D8, ..., 0x7F4) so that the element with index i has the address 2000 + (i × 4)."
"The memory address of the first element of an array is called first address, foundation address, or base address."
"Because the mathematical concept of a matrix can be represented as a two-dimensional grid, two-dimensional arrays are also sometimes called 'matrices'."
"Tables are often implemented in the form of arrays, especially lookup tables; the word 'table' is sometimes used as a synonym of array."
"Arrays are among the oldest and most important data structures, and are used by almost every program."
"They effectively exploit the addressing logic of computers. In most modern computers and many external storage devices, the memory is a one-dimensional array of words, whose indices are their addresses."
"Among other things, this feature allows a single iterative statement to process arbitrarily many elements of an array."
"The elements of an array data structure are required to have the same size and should use the same data representation."
"Array types are often implemented by array structures; however, in some languages they may be implemented by hash tables, linked lists, search trees, or other data structures."
"The term is also used, especially in the description of algorithms, to mean associative array or 'abstract array', a theoretical computer science model (an abstract data type or ADT) intended to capture the essential properties of arrays."
"...each identified by at least one array index or key."
"The position of each element can be computed from its index tuple by a mathematical formula."
"The elements of an array data structure are required to have the same size and should use the same data representation. This feature allows a single iterative statement to process arbitrarily many elements of an array."
"Array types are often implemented by array structures; however, in some languages, they may be implemented by hash tables, linked lists, search trees, or other data structures."
"Arrays are among the oldest and most important data structures and are used by almost every program."
"Two-dimensional arrays are also sometimes called 'matrices'."
"The term 'array' may also refer to an array data type, a kind of data type provided by most high-level programming languages that consists of a collection of values or variables that can be selected by one or more indices computed at runtime."