Arrays are one of the most fundamental and essential concepts in programming. Whether you're coding in C, C++, Java, or Python, arrays play a crucial role in data storage and manipulation.

📌 What is an Array?

An array is a collection of similar data types stored in contiguous memory locations. It allows you to store multiple values in a single variable instead of declaring separate variables for each value.

🔹 Key Features:

Fixed size
Stores elements of the same data type
Indexed (starts from index 0)
Efficient for iteration and data manipulation

🧩 Types of Arrays

1. One-Dimensional Array (1D)

A linear array where data is stored in a single row (like a list).

int marks[5] = {90, 85, 76, 88, 92};

2. Two-Dimensional Array (2D)

Used for tabular data, like matrices or grids.

int matrix[2][3] = {
    {1, 2, 3},
    {4, 5, 6}
};

3. Multidimensional Array (3D and more)

Arrays of arrays of arrays — used in complex applications like 3D graphics.

int space[2][2][2] = {
    {{1,2}, {3,4}},
    {{5,6}, {7,8}}
};

🛠️ Array Declaration and Initialization

✅ Declaration

Syntax (C/C++):

data_type array_name[size];

Example:

int numbers[10]; // Declares an integer array of size 10

✅ Initialization

There are 3 ways:

🔹 Method 1: At declaration time

int a[5] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

🔹 Method 2: Partial initialization

int b[5] = {10, 20}; // Remaining values are set to 0

🔹 Method 3: Index-based assignment

int c[5];
c[0] = 11;
c[1] = 22;
c[2] = 33;

💡 Example: Sum of Array Elements

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

int main() {
    int arr[5] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
    int sum = 0;

    for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
        sum += arr[i];
    }

    cout << "Sum = " << sum;
    return 0;
}

💥 Output:

Sum = 150

🎯 Conclusion

Arrays are a powerful structure for storing and manipulating data in programming. By understanding their types, declaration methods, and usage patterns, you can build efficient and organized code. Arrays form the base of many advanced data structures such as stacks, queues, and matrices.

🌟 Array in Programming: Concepts, Types, Declaration.