An array is defined as a finite, ordered set of elementary data types.

Examples of elementary data types include integers, real numbers, characters, and Boolean.

Many languages have built-in structured data types such as a string, array or list.

Arrays are designed to store multiple elements e.g.

car_makers = ['ford', 'jaguar', 'Nissan', 'Mazda']

Elements are accessed by referencing their location within the array, e.g.

• car_makers[0] would return ford
• car_makers[2] would return Nissan

Note that it is common for the first element of an array to be given an index of 0 rather than 1,

Two dimensional arrays are a little more complex but they are really an array of arrays. The best way to understand a 2-dimensional array is to think of it as a way of storing and accessing information within a grid made up of rows and columns. You may have used this method to define a cell in a spreadsheet, where you give the location by row and column.

Imagine a 2-dimensional array called "numbers" with 3 rows and 4 columns.

	Column 0	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Row 0	1	2	3	4
Row 1	5	6	7	8
Row 2	9	10	11	12

Elements in the array can be referred to by their row and column number, so that numbers[1][3] = 8