Last Updated on November 1, 2023 by Ankit Kochar
Arrays serve as a data structure designed for the storage and manipulation of a set of values that share the same data type. They offer a means for efficient access and alteration of elements via index-based addressing. However, it’s important to note that arrays possess a predetermined size upon creation, which can result in increased memory usage and less efficient insertion and deletion of elements.
What is Array in Data Structure?
An array is a data structure designed for the storage of multiple data items of the same data type. It allocates its components in contiguous memory locations, with each element in the array corresponding to a specific memory address. The quantity of elements within an array is commonly referred to as its length or size.
It is possible to access information about an array’s position. The index is the name of this reference.
Why Do We Need Arrays?
We need arrays in data structures for the following reasons:
- For storing several values in a single variable, arrays work well.
- Arrays are more effective at handling several values fast and conveniently.
- In arrays, sorting and searching the values is simpler.
What are the Advantages of Arrays?
There are the advantages of arrays:-
- Code Optimization: Instead of declaring each variable separately, an array enables the storage and access of a large number of variables with only a short amount of code.
- Functionality: One of the most fundamental data structures, arrays are used to quickly and easily process numerous algorithms, including searching, sorting, maximum and minimum values, reversing, and others.
- Index-Based: Arrays use an index-based data structure that makes it easier to quickly identify each element in an array by its index.
- Multi-dimensional: By storing matrix elements in 2-dimensional arrays, arrays can manage complex data structures.
- Memory Allocation: Because elements are stored sequentially in memory locations by arrays, no additional memory is required, preventing memory wastage.
- Multiple Uses: Stacks, queues, graphs, trees, and other types of data structures can all be created using the basic data structure of arrays.
What are the Disadvantages of Arrays?
Some of the disadvantages of arrays:-
- Size is fixed: An array has a defined size, therefore it is static in that sense. An array’s assigned memory cannot be increased or decreased. This prevents the storage of additional data in the event of a need. If an array is given less memory than is necessary, this may occasionally result in data loss.
- The problem in expansion: The only choice is to discard the current array and establish a new array with a larger size that satisfies the criteria if the array size has to be expanded at a later point of the development process. As the program expands, there is still a chance to change the size once more.
- Memory wastage: An array’s initial size declaration is made in accordance with a requirement that cannot be altered. As a result, memory is allocated appropriately. However, memory waste occurs if the size needed decreases in the future. For instance, if we get only 38 elements to store out of a declared array size of 50, 12 elements of storage space are wasted.
- Limitation of type of data: Because only one type of data may be stored in a single array due to its homogeneity, it is not possible to store values of several data types in an array. However, in real-world situations, we might need to store items of various types, such as strings (student names), integers (roll numbers), and so on, which is not feasible.
- Operational limitation: It is challenging to perform deletion and insertion operations in arrays because they store data in contiguous memory locations. Additionally, it takes a lot of time because we have to move other components one position forward or back, as appropriate.
- Memory space: Developers frequently specify huge array sizes at the beginning of the configuration of arrays to be on the safe side and prevent any difficulty arising out of any future data expansion. As a result, huge arrays take up a lot of space.
- Index bound checking: When writing code in C, the compiler does not perform index bound checking or flag any errors if the code is outside the range of an array’s index values. However, the compiler displays a run-time error or outputs a trash value when the data is accessed.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Arrays
Here,are the advantages and disadvantages of arrays in tabular form:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| This is a practical method of storing a specified number of similar-type items. | The array can only store a predetermined amount of elements in accordance with the initial size specification. There is no mechanism for expanding the array’s size to include additional data down the road, should that be necessary. |
| Data memory allocation is carried out progressively without using additional memory. | The excess memory space that has already been allocated does not get used if the actual number of elements is fewer than the specified size of an array. |
| It is quicker to access the arrays by their index value. | Utilizing only one type of data might occasionally have restrictions since, in real-world situations, it may be necessary to use many types of data in array form. |
| It enables the multidimensional array storage of matrix data items. | It is inconvenient and time-consuming to add or remove records from the array since we must manage memory and indexing. |
Applications Of Array
Here are the applications of the array:
- Data elements of the same data type are stored in arrays.
- Uses a single name to maintain several variable names. Large amounts of data can be managed using arrays under a single variable name. By doing this, requiring several variables is avoided.
- Data elements can be sorted using arrays. Arrays are used to quickly store and sort elements in a variety of sorting techniques, including Bubble sort, Insertion sort, and Selection sort.
- Matrix operations can be done with arrays. Numerous databases, both small and large, are made up of records-based one- and two-dimensional arrays.
- CPU scheduling can be done using arrays.
- The implementation of additional data structures, such as stacks, queues, heaps, hash tables, etc., also uses arrays.
Conclusion
Arrays are a fundamental data structure in programming, offering both advantages and disadvantages. They excel in providing efficient access and manipulation of elements, making them a powerful choice for managing collections of data items with the same data type. However, they have limitations, such as a fixed size upon creation and potential inefficiency in inserting or deleting elements. Understanding these pros and cons is crucial for making informed decisions when selecting data structures for specific tasks.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Now, let’s address some frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to the advantages and disadvantages of arrays:
1. When should I use arrays in my programs?
Arrays are appropriate when you have a collection of data items of the same data type and need efficient access to elements using indices.
2. What are the main advantages of using arrays?
The primary advantages of arrays include efficient element access, simplicity, and direct memory addressing, which leads to fast and predictable performance.
3. What are the key disadvantages of arrays?
The main disadvantages of arrays are their fixed size upon creation, which can be inflexible, and the potential inefficiency in inserting or deleting elements, especially in large arrays.
4. Can I change the size of an array after it’s created?
No, the size of an array in most programming languages is fixed upon creation. If you need a dynamic size, consider using other data structures like lists or dynamic arrays.
5. Are there any alternative data structures to arrays that can address their limitations?
Yes, various data structures, such as lists, dynamic arrays, and linked lists, provide dynamic sizing and efficient insertion and deletion of elements, addressing some of the limitations of arrays.