Array

Arrays are one of the most basic and important data structures. They are an ordered collection that stores elements of the same type, with these elements stored contiguously in memory.

Array Characteristics

Advantages

• Random Access: Can access any element in O(1) time through indexing
• Memory Efficiency: Elements are stored contiguously with high memory utilization
• Cache Friendly: Contiguous memory access pattern is CPU cache friendly

Disadvantages

• Fixed Size: Static array size is determined at creation time and cannot be dynamically adjusted
• Insertion/Deletion Overhead: Inserting or deleting elements in the middle requires moving other elements

Array Types

Static Array

• Static Array Details
• Size determined at compile time
• Usually allocated on the stack

Dynamic Array

• Dynamic Array Details
• Size can be adjusted at runtime
• Usually allocated on the heap

Basic Operations

// Create array
const arr = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

// Access element - O(1)
const element = arr[2]; // 3

// Modify element - O(1)
arr[1] = 10;

// Traverse array - O(n)
for (let i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
  console.log(arr[i]);
}

Time Complexity

Application Scenarios

Arrays are suitable for:

• Scenarios requiring frequent random access to elements
• Situations where data size is relatively fixed
• Algorithms requiring efficient traversal
• Serving as the foundation for other data structures

Continue learning about specific implementations and advanced applications of arrays!