Using Parallel Arrays in Programming

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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of declaring a named numeric constant when working with arrays?

  • To make the code more concise
  • To increase the size of the array
  • To avoid 'magic numbers' and improve readability (correct)
  • To decrease the execution time of the program

What is the main advantage of using constants as array element values?

  • It reduces the number of array operations
  • It reduces the size of the array
  • It improves code readability and maintainability (correct)
  • It increases the performance of the program

What is a flag variable used for in searching an array?

  • To iterate through the array
  • To store the value of the found element
  • To store the index of the found element
  • To indicate whether the desired value has been found (correct)

What is the purpose of setting a subscript variable to 0 when searching an array?

<p>To start the search from the first element of the array (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when the desired value is not found in the array during a search?

<p>The search terminates and the flag remains False (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of examining each element in the array during a search?

<p>To determine whether the desired value is present (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of using named constants in array indexing?

<p>It improves code readability and maintainability (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens when the desired value is found in the array during a search?

<p>The flag variable is set to True (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of initializing a flag variable to False during a search?

<p>To assume the desired value is not present in the array (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of incrementing the subscript variable during a search?

<p>To examine the next element in the array (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Using Parallel Arrays

  • Parallel arrays contain related data, with each element in one array associated with an element in a second array.
  • A subscript relates the arrays, making elements at the same position in each array logically related.
  • Parallel arrays are useful, especially when an indirect relationship exists between an item's number and its price.

Improving Search Efficiency

  • To improve search efficiency, a program should stop searching the array when a match is found.
  • Setting a variable to a specific value instead of letting normal processing set it can improve efficiency.
  • The larger the array, the better the improvement with early exit.

VBA (Visual Basic for Applications)

  • In VBA, arrays can be declared with a fixed size, e.g., Dim employee(100) As String.
  • Option Base 1 can be used to change the starting index of the array from 0 to 1.
  • Dynamic indexing allows the array size to be determined at runtime, e.g., Dim employee() As String and Redim employee(1 to nEmployees).
  • Multiple dimensions can be used, e.g., Dim employee(100,100) As String.
  • Elements of a two-dimensional array can be accessed using nested loops.

Arrays in General

  • An array is a named series or list of values in memory with the same data type and different subscripts.
  • A variable can be used as a subscript to the array to replace multiple nested decisions.
  • Constants can be used to hold an array's size, avoiding "magic numbers".
  • Searching through an array requires initializing a subscript, using a loop to test each element, and setting a flag when a match is found.

Using Constants

  • Named numeric constants can be used to declare the size of an array, making the code more readable.
  • Constants can be used as array element values, e.g., string MONTH = "January", "February", ....
  • Constants are created automatically in many languages.

Searching an Array

  • A flag is a variable that indicates whether an event occurred.
  • Technique for searching an array involves setting a subscript variable, initializing a flag variable, examining each element, and setting the flag to True when a match is found.

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