Understanding Arrays in Data Structures
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Arun SinhaUnderstanding Arrays in Data Structures
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Arun SinhaData Structure - Arrays
1. Definition An array is a collection of elements of the same data type, stored in
contiguous memory locations.
Each element is accessed using an index (subscript).
• Syntax: data_type array_name[size];
• Example: int marks[5]; // array of 5 integers
2. Standard Operations on Arrays
The most common operations performed on arrays include:
1. Traversal – Accessing each element of the array.
2. Insertion – Adding a new element at a given position.
3. Deletion – Removing an element from a given position.
4. Searching – Finding the location of an element (Linear or Binary search).
5. Updation – Modifying the value of an element.
3. One-Dimensional Array (1D Array) is a linear list of elements.
Exsample Program:
#include <stdio.h>
#define SIZE 5
int main() {
int arr[SIZE] = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
int i, search = 30, found = 0;
// Traversal
printf("Array elements:\n");
for(i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) { printf("%d ", arr[i]);}
// Searching
for(i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
if(arr[i] == search) {
printf("\nElement %d found at index %d\n", search, i);
found = 1;
break;
}
}
if(!found)
printf("\nElement not found\n");
// Updating
arr[2] = 99;
printf("\nArray after updation:\n");
for(i = 0; i < SIZE; i++) {
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
}
return 0;
}
4. Two-Dimensional Array (2D Array) is like a table with rows and columns.
It is declared as: data_type array_name[rows][cols];
Example Program: Matrix Addition
#include <stdio.h>
#define ROW 2
#define COL 3
int main() {
int A[ROW][COL] = {{1,2,3},{4,5,6}};
int B[ROW][COL] = {{6,5,4},{3,2,1}};
int C[ROW][COL];
int i, j;
// Matrix Addition
for(i = 0; i < ROW; i++) {
for(j = 0; j < COL; j++) {
C[i][j] = A[i][j] + B[i][j];
}
}
printf("Resultant Matrix:\n");
for(i = 0; i < ROW; i++) {
for(j = 0; j < COL; j++) {
printf("%d ", C[i][j]);
}
printf("\n");
}
return 0;
}
• Row-Major vs Column-Major Order
Data storage in 2D arrays in memory, can be either row-major or column-major order.
Row-Major Order The elements of a row are stored contiguously (side by side) in
memory. After finishing one row, storage continues with the next row. C, C++, Python
(NumPy default) use row-major order.
Example (2×3 matrix): Memory (row-major):
1 2 3 123456
4 5 6
Column-Major Order The elements of a column are stored contiguously in memory. After
finishing one column, storage continues with the next column. Fortran, MATLAB, R use
column-major order.
Example (same 2×3 matrix): Memory (column-major):
1 2 3 142536
4 5 6
• Row-Major vs Column-Major Order – Address formula calculation
Suppose we have a 2D array A[ROW][COL] stored in memory,
• Base Address (BA): Starting address of the array in memory
• W: Size of each element (in bytes)
• Indices: row index i, column index j
Row-Major Order (C, C++, Python default) Formula:
Address(A[i][j])=BA+(i×COL+j)×W
Column-Major Order (Fortran, MATLAB, R) Formula:
Address(A[i][j])=BA+(j×ROW+i)×W
Examples :
Matrix (3×3), Base Address = 1000, W = 4 bytes. Find address of A[1][2] (2nd row, 3rd
column) in both Row-major and Column-major order
Ans: Row-Major: 1000+(1×3+2)×4=1000+20=1020
Column-Major: 1000+(2×3+1)×4=1000+28=1028
5. Implementation of Array Operations – 1D
(a) Insertion in 1D Array (b) Deletion in 1D Array
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdio.h>
#define SIZE 100 #define SIZE 100
int main() { int main() {
int arr[SIZE], n, pos, val, i; int arr[SIZE], n, pos, i;
printf("Enter no. of elements: "); printf("Enter no. of elements: ");
scanf("%d", &n); scanf("%d", &n);
printf("Enter elements:\n"); printf("Enter elements:\n");
for(i = 0; i < n; i++) for(i = 0; i < n; i++)
scanf("%d", &arr[i]); scanf("%d", &arr[i]);
printf("Enter position to insert (0- printf("Enter position to delete (0-
%d): ", n); %d): ", n-1);
scanf("%d", &pos); scanf("%d", &pos);
printf("Enter value: ");
scanf("%d", &val); // Shift elements left
for(i = pos; i < n-1; i++)
// Shift elements arr[i] = arr[i+1];
for(i = n; i > pos; i--) n--;
arr[i] = arr[i-1];
arr[pos] = val; printf("Array after deletion:\n");
n++; for(i = 0; i < n; i++)
printf("%d ", arr[i]);
printf("Array after insertion:\n");
for(i = 0; i < n; i++) return 0;
printf("%d ", arr[i]); }
return 0;
}
6. Implementation of Array Operations – 2D Array Insert
For a 2D array insertion program, we’ll extend the same concept:
• In a 1D array, we shift elements to the right.
• In a 2D array, we can insert a new element at a given row and column index,
shifting elements of that row to the right.
• If the row overflows, we can shift elements into the next row (like matrix-style
shifting).
#include <stdio.h>
#define ROWS 10
#define COLS 10
int main() {
int arr[ROWS][COLS];
int m, n; // current rows and columns
int row, col; // position to insert
int val;
printf("Enter number of rows and columns: ");
scanf("%d %d", &m, &n);
printf("Enter elements of %dx%d matrix:\n", m, n);
for(int i = 0; i < m; i++) {
for(int j = 0; j < n; j++) {
scanf("%d", &arr[i][j]);
}
}
printf("Enter row (0-%d) and column (0-%d) to insert: ", m-1, n-1);
scanf("%d %d", &row, &col);
printf("Enter value: ");
scanf("%d", &val);
// Shift elements for insertion
for(int i = m-1; i >= row; i--) {
for(int j = n-1; j >= 0; j--) {
if(i == row && j >= col) {
arr[i][j+1] = arr[i][j]; // shift within row
}
else if(i > row) {
arr[i][j+1] = arr[i][j]; // shift all rows below
}
}
}
arr[row][col] = val;
n++; // increase column count (assuming row size fixed)
printf("Matrix after insertion:\n");
for(int i = 0; i < m; i++) {
for(int j = 0; j < n; j++) {
printf("%d ", arr[i][j]);
}
printf("\n");
}
return 0;
}
6. Implementation of Array Operations – 2D Array Delete
#include <stdio.h>
int main() {
int rows, cols;
printf("Enter number of rows and columns: ");
scanf("%d %d", &rows, &cols);
int arr[100][100]; // maximum size
printf("Enter elements of the 2D array:\n");
for (int i = 0; i < rows; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < cols; j++) {
scanf("%d", &arr[i][j]);
}
}
int delRow, delCol;
printf("Enter position to delete (row and column): ");
scanf("%d %d", &delRow, &delCol);
if (delRow < 0 || delRow >= rows || delCol < 0 || delCol >= cols) {
printf("Invalid position!\n");
return 0;
}
// Shift elements in the row to the left
for (int j = delCol; j < cols - 1; j++) {
arr[delRow][j] = arr[delRow][j + 1];
}
// Optional: If a row becomes empty, you can also delete that row
// Here we just reduce column count
cols--;
printf("\nArray after deletion:\n");
for (int i = 0; i < rows; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < cols; j++) {
printf("%d ", arr[i][j]);
}
printf("\n");
}
return 0;
}
Home work – Write the UPDATE programs for 1D and 2D array
7. Applications of Arrays
1. Storing data – Used to store marks, salaries, test scores, etc.
2. Matrices – Used in scientific computations, graphics, simulations.
3. Sorting & Searching – Arrays support algorithms like bubble sort, quicksort,
binary search.
4. Strings – Strings in C are implemented using character arrays.
5. Data Structures – Arrays are building blocks for stacks, queues, heaps, and hash
tables.
6. Lookup tables – Storing and accessing precomputed values (e.g., sine tables).
