Arrays in C++

In the previous lesson, we covered iterative statements and jumping statements in C++. Now, let's explore one of the fundamental data structures in C++: arrays. An array is a collection of elements of the same type, stored in contiguous memory locations. It allows you to store and access multiple values using a single variable name. In this lesson, we'll dive into arrays in C++, understanding their declaration, initialization, accessing elements, and some common operations.

Declaring and Initializing Arrays

In C++, you declare an array by specifying the element type followed by the array name and size in square brackets. Arrays can be declared with a fixed size or dynamically allocated using pointers. You can initialize an array during declaration or assign values later using loops or individual assignments.

// Declaration and Initialization of an array
int myArray[5]; // Declaring an array of size 5

int myArray2[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}; // Initializing an array during declaration

// Assigning values to an array
myArray[0] = 10;
myArray[1] = 20;
myArray[2] = 30;
myArray[3] = 40;
myArray[4] = 50;

Accessing Array Elements

Array elements are accessed using the array name followed by the index enclosed in square brackets. The index starts from 0 for the first element and goes up to size-1 for the last element. You can read or modify the values of array elements using their corresponding indices.

int value = myArray[0]; // Accessing the first element of the array

myArray[2] = 35; // Modifying the value of the third element

Common Operations on Arrays

Arrays support various operations such as finding the length, iterating through elements, and performing calculations. You can use loops like for or while to traverse the array and access its elements. Additionally, you can perform mathematical computations, search for specific values, sort elements, or find the maximum or minimum value.

Multi-Dimensional Arrays

In addition to one-dimensional arrays, C++ supports multi-dimensional arrays. These are arrays with more than one dimension, often represented as rows and columns. Multi-dimensional arrays are useful for working with matrices, tables, and other structured data.

Conclusion

Arrays are a foundational concept in programming, and they form the building blocks for more complex data structures. In the next lesson, we'll delve into another important topic in C++: strings. Strings are sequences of characters and are widely used in programming for handling text-based data. We'll explore string declaration, manipulation, and common string operations. Get ready to expand your C++ knowledge!