Storing Data Sequentially with Array

An array is a data structure that stores multiple data elements of the same type in order, similar to a list in Python like [1, 2, 3].

Each element can be accessed using an index, which typically starts from 0.

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my_array = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

An array data structure has the following characteristics.

An array generally has a fixed size.

You must specify the size when creating an array, as it is allocated contiguously in memory.

Python's list overcomes this limitation by internally re-allocating and copying to dynamically adjust its size.

Generally, an array is composed of elements of the same data type.

For example, an integer array only stores integers, and a string array only stores strings.

This structure allows for efficient memory usage and simplifies the calculation of each element's memory address.

In contrast, Python's list is similar to an array but is not size-constrained, allows dynamic changes, and can contain elements of different data types.

Such a structure is referred to as a Dynamic Array.

Each element in the array has a unique index (usually starting at 0), allowing access to any element with a constant time complexity, i.e., O(1).

Arrays allow for very fast access to data if the position of the element is known.

The following code demonstrates using Python's list data structure to create an integer array of size 5, adding elements, and modifying elements.

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my_array = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]

# Access specific element of the array
print(my_array[2])  # Output: 30

# Get the length of the array
print(len(my_array))  # Output: 5

# Add an element to the array
my_array.append(60)  # [10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60]

# Modify a specific element of the array
my_array[1] = 25  # [10, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60]

# Iterate over the elements of the array
for element in my_array:
    print(element)