array.md

Arrays in Python

In Python, an array is a collection of items stored at contiguous memory locations. They can hold items of the same type and are useful for performing numerical computations. However, Python does not have a built-in array data type like some other languages. Instead, it provides a few options for working with arrays:

1. Lists: The most common way to create a dynamic array. Lists can hold items of different types, and their size can change dynamically.

   my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

2. The array module: This module provides a way to create arrays that are more efficient than lists for certain types of numeric data. Arrays created using this module can only hold items of the same type.

   import array
   my_array = array.array('i', [1, 2, 3, 4, 5])  # 'i' indicates integer type

In simple terms, Array is a collection of data (int, float, etc), which is stored in a single variable

Key Differences

• Type Flexibility: Lists can hold mixed types, while arrays (from the array module and NumPy) require all elements to be of the same type.

When to Use Which

• Use lists for general-purpose collections when you need flexibility in types.
• Use the array module for performance-critical applications that require basic numerical data handling with uniform types.