Here's a comprehensive explanation of arrays in C programming, including declaration

and initialization:

What are arrays in C?

● Arrays are collections of elements of the same data type, stored contiguously in memory.
● They provide an efficient way to manage multiple values under a single variable name.

Declaring arrays:

● Syntax: data_type array_name[size];

○ data_type: The type of data the array will hold (e.g., int, float, char)
○ array_name: The name you choose for the array
○ size: The number of elements the array can hold (must be a constant value)

Examples:

C
int numbers[5]; // Declares an array to hold 5 integers
float scores[10]; // Declares an array to hold 10 floating-point numbers
char letters[26]; // Declares an array to hold 26 characters

Initializing arrays:

● At declaration:
C
int ages[] = {25, 30, 35, 40}; // Declares and initializes with values

● After declaration:
C
int scores[5];
scores[0] = 85;
scores[1] = 92;
scores[2] = 78;
// ...

Important points:

● Zero-based indexing: Array elements are accessed using indices starting from 0, not 1.
The first element is array_name[0], the second is array_name[1], and so on.
● Out-of-bounds access: Attempting to access an element beyond the array's bounds
leads to undefined behavior, potentially causing program crashes.
 ● Arrays and pointers: Arrays are closely related to pointers, but they are not the same
thing. An array name represents the address of the first element in memory.

Common uses of arrays:

● Storing lists of values (e.g., student scores, product prices)

● Implementing mathematical matrices
● Representing strings (a string is essentially a character array)
● Handling data structures like stacks and queues