Before you begin this lesson, you should read sections 6.1--6.3 of the text.
Up until this point we have dealt with one kind of data: numbers. With this lesson we will begin our study of arrays. Once you have arrays under your belt you will be able to write much more interesting programs. You will also be able to use the control structures that you have learned---in particular DO loops---in much more powerful ways.
As programs become larger and more complicated, it becomes increasingly difficult to manage the data. Variable names typically become longer to ensure their uniqueness. And the number of variable names makes it difficult for the programmer to concentrate on the important task of correct coding.
Arrays provide a mechanism for declaring and accessing several data items with only one identifier, thereby simplifying the task of data management.
In this lesson we'll look at the use of one-dimensional arrays. As usual, we need to copy some files before we begin.
Hamlet Project