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Arrays Lecture Notes

The document provides an overview of arrays in C programming, including their definition, declaration, assignment, and input/output operations. It explains the structure of arrays, including elements and indices, and covers the initialization of arrays and bounds checking. Additionally, it introduces two-dimensional and multi-dimensional arrays, as well as parallel arrays, with examples of usage and programming practices.

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Arrays Lecture Notes

The document provides an overview of arrays in C programming, including their definition, declaration, assignment, and input/output operations. It explains the structure of arrays, including elements and indices, and covers the initialization of arrays and bounds checking. Additionally, it introduces two-dimensional and multi-dimensional arrays, as well as parallel arrays, with examples of usage and programming practices.

Uploaded by

ben munjaru
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Arrays

C Programming
Lecture Topics

Array definition
Array declaration
Array assignment
Array Input / Output
Examples

What is an Array?
◼ It’s a collection of variables (the same type)
grouped into one name.
◼ More specifically, it’s a group of memory
locations for variables of the same type and
specified by the same name.
◼ It makes dealing with related variables much
easier.
Parts of Arrays
Elements
Refers to the number of individual items
represented by the array

Index (or more formally, Subscript)


Refers to one particular element in the array
The first position in an array is represented by
an index, or subscript of 0 (zero). For example,
• arrStudentGrades[ 0 ]
The second position is referred to by
• arrStudentGrades[ 1 ]
Arrays
An array is an ordered list of values

An array of size N is indexed from zero to N-1


This array holds 10 values that are indexed from 0 to 9

Arrays
A particular value in an array is referenced using
the array name followed by the index in brackets
For example, the expression

scores[2]

refers to the value 94 (the 3rd value in the array)


That expression represents a place to store a
single integer and can be used wherever an
integer variable can be used

Arrays
For example, an array element can be assigned a
value, printed, or used in a calculation:

scores[2] = 89;
scores[first] = scores[first] + 2;

mean = (scores[0] + scores[1])/2;

printf ("Top = %d”, scores[5]);

So how do we use arrays?

Same concepts as other variables apply


Must declare the array
Must initialize the array
Can use arrays in expressions and functions,
setting elements’ values or using their values,
similar to the use of ordinary variables
Declaring an array
The declaration is similar to the declaration of
other variables (except for the brackets and
number of elements):
int iMyFirstArray[ 15 ], iMySecondArray[ 20 ];

You can use a #define constant to set the size


of the array
#define GRID_ROWS_MAX 8 int
arrGridRows[ GRID_ROWS_MAX ] ;

Declaring Arrays

The scores array could be declared as


follows:

int scores[10] ;
The type of the variable scores is an array
of integers

The variable scores is set to a new blank


array that can hold 10 integers

Declaring Arrays

Some examples of array declarations:


double prices[500] ;

int factor[12] , age[6];

char codes[30] ;

Initializing an Array

You can initialize an array when you declare it, as


you do with other variables
Syntax is slightly different, as you are now
initializing more than one element at a time
One way at declaration, using initializers: int
iMyFirstArray[ 5 ] = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 } ;
Note the braces around the initial zeroes which
themselves are separated by commas
Initializing an Array (cont’d)
If you specify fewer initializing values
than you have elements, all the rest are
initialized to a value of 0. For example:
int iMyFirstArray[ 5 ] = { 0 }; would set
all elements to 0
int iMyFirstArray[ 5 ] = { 4 }; would set
the zeroth element to 4 and the rest to 0!

Initializing an array without


specifying size
You can also initialize and set the number
of elements with the same step:
int iMyFirstArray[ ] = { 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 } ;
Note: there is NO size specified; C
automatically makes it 5 elements since
you gave five initial values
Initializer Lists
Examples:
int units[ ] = {147, 323, 89, 933, 540,
269, 97, 114, 298, 476}; char letterGrades[
] = {'A', 'B', 'C', 'D', ’F'};

Note that an initializer list can only be


used in the array declaration
Initializing array with a for loop
After declaring an array, you can initialize it in
the body of your program by using a for loop:
int i = 0, iMyFirstArray[ 5 ] ; /* size is 5*/
for ( i = 0 ; i <= 4 ; i++
)
{ iMyFirstArray[ i ] = 0 ;
} /* end for i */

Note the upper bound is 4, not 5. That is, you


loop through 0 to 4 to initialize an array with 5
elements
Bounds Checking

Once an array is created, it has a fixed size

An index used in an array reference must


specify a valid element

That is, the index value must be in bounds


(0 to N-1)
Bounds Checking

For example, if the array codes can hold


100 values, it can be indexed using only
the numbers 0 to 99

If count has the value 100, then the


following reference will cause a problem:
problem

for (int index=0; index <= 100; index++)


codes[index] = index*50 + epsilon;
Array Input/ Output

We typically use for loops for any kind of


array processing.
To input an array, one by one:
for (i=0; i<10 ; i++ ) { printf(“
Enter element %d : “, i ); scanf (
“ %d “, &scores[i] );
}
Array Output

To display an array, one element per line:


for (i=0; i<10 ; i++ )
{
printf(“ scores [%d] : %d\n“, i ,
scores[i] );
}

#define SIZE 10
int main()
{
int myFirstArray[SIZE], i;
for (i=0; i<=SIZE-1; i++)
{
myFirstArray[i] = i * 2;
printf("myFirstArray with subscript of %d holds the
value %d\n", i, myFirstArray[i]);
}
return 0;
}
Two-Dimensional Arrays
 A one-dimensional array stores a list of elements

 A two-dimensional array can be thought of as a table of


elements, with rows and columns


Two Dimensional Arrays

Declaration: int arr[5][5];


Traversed using two nested for loops:
for (i = 0; i<=4 ; i++)
 for (j = 0; j<=4; j++)
 arr[i][j] = i * j;

Multi dimensional arrays

Arrays can be 3 dimensional, 4


dimensional, or of n dimensions.
int arr[3][3][3];
Parallel Arrays

These are independent arrays of the same


size, that have a meaningful connection to
each other.
For example, one array with a students
gpa, and one with his letter grade.
3.8 A

GPA grade
Example

Write a program that reads in an array of


10 elements, gets their average, and then
display the deviation of each element from
that average.

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