1.
Array
An array is a collection of items of same data type stored at
contiguous memory locations.
Array
Characteristics of Array Data Structure:
•Homogeneous Elements: All elements within an array must be of the same
data type.
•Contiguous Memory Allocation: In most programming languages,
elements in an array are stored in contiguous (adjacent) memory locations.
•Zero-Based Indexing: In many programming languages, arrays use zero-
based indexing, which means that the first element is accessed with an index
of 0, the second with an index of 1, and so on.
•Random Access: Arrays provide constant-time (O(1)) access to elements.
This means that regardless of the size of the array, it takes the same amount
of time to access any element based on its index.
Types of arrays:
•One-Dimensional Array: This is the simplest form of an array, which
consists of a single row of elements, all of the same data type. Elements in a
1D array are accessed using a single index.
One-Dimensional Array
•Two-Dimensional Array: A two-dimensional array, often referred to as a
matrix or 2D array, is an array of arrays. It consists of rows and columns,
forming a grid-like structure. Elements in a 2D array are accessed using two
indices, one for the row and one for the column.
Two-Dimensional Array:
•Multi-Dimensional Array: Arrays can have more than two dimensions,
leading to multi-dimensional arrays. These are used when data needs to be
organized in a multi-dimensional grid.
Multi-Dimensional Array
Types of Array operations:
•Accessing Elements: Accessing a specific element in an array by its index
is a constant-time operation. It has a time complexity of O(1).
•Insertion: Appending an element to the end of an array is usually a
constant-time operation, O(1) but insertion at the beginning or any specific
index takes O(n) time because it requires shifting all of the elements.
•Deletion: Same as insertion, deleting the last element is a constant-time
operation, O(1) but deletion of element at the beginning or any specific
index takes O(n) time because it requires shifting all of the elements.
•Searching: Linear Search takes O(n) time which is useful for unsorted data
and Binary Search takes O(logn) time which is useful for sorted data.
