Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Your notes

Computer Science
Arrays
Contents
Arrays

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 Arrays
Your notes

1-Dimensional Arrays
What is an array?
An array is an ordered, static set of elements in a fixed-size memory location
An array can only store 1 data type
A 1D array is a linear array
In languages such as Python, indexes start at 0, known as zero-indexed
In CIE pseudocode, index's start at 1

Concept Pseudocode Python

Create DECLARE scores: ARRAY[1:5]OF INTEGER scores = []

Creates a blank array with 5 Creates a blank array

elements (1-5)

scores ← [12, 10, 5, 2, 8] scores = [12, 10, 5, 2, 8]

Creates an array called scores with values assigned

Assignment colours[4] ← "Red" colours[4] = "Red"

Assigns the colour "Red" to index 4 Assigns the colour "Red" to index
(4th element) 4 (5th element)

Examples
Creating a one-dimensional array called ‘array’ which contains 5 integers.

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 Create the array with the following syntax:

Pseudocode Python Your notes

DECLARE MyArray : ARRAY[1:5] OF INTEGER array = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Access the individual elements of the array by using the following syntax:

Pseudocode Python

MyArray[1] ← 1 array[index]

Modify the individual elements by assigning new values to specific indexes using the
following syntax:

Pseudocode Python

MyArray[index] ← newValue array[index] = newValue

Use the len function to determine the length of the array by using the following syntax:

Pseudocode Python

There is no built-in length function in CIE pseudocode. The array length is len(array)
known from the declaration or stored in a variable.

In the example the array has been iterated through to output each element within the
array
A for loop has been used for this

Pseudocode

// Creating a one-dimensional array

DECLARE MyArray : ARRAY[1:5] OF INTEGER
MyArray[1] ← 1
MyArray[2] ← 2
MyArray[3] ← 3
MyArray[4] ← 4
MyArray[5] ← 5

// Accessing elements of the array

OUTPUT MyArray[1] // Output: 1
OUTPUT MyArray[3] // Output: 3

// Modifying elements of the array

MyArray[2] ← 10
// MyArray is now: [1, 10, 3, 4, 5]

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// Iterating over the array
DECLARE Index : INTEGER Your notes
FOR Index ← 1 TO 5
OUTPUT MyArray[Index]
NEXT Index

// Output:
// 1
// 10
// 3
// 4
// 5

// Length of the array

DECLARE Length : INTEGER
Length ← 5
OUTPUT Length // Output: 5

Python

# Creating a one-dimensional array

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

# Accessing elements of the array

print(array[0]) # Output: 1
print(array[2]) # Output: 3

# Modifying elements of the array

array[1] = 10
print(array) # Output: [1, 10, 3, 4, 5]

# Iterating over the array

for element in array:
print(element)

# Output:
#1
# 10
#3
#4
#5

# Length of the array

length = len(array)
print(length) # Output: 5

2-Dimensional Arrays
What is a 2-dimensional array?
A 2D array extends the concept on a 1D array by adding another dimension
A 2D array can be visualised as a table with rows and columns

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 When navigating through a 2D array you first have to go down the rows and then across
the columns to find a position within the array
Your notes

Concept Pseudocode Python

Create Declare a 2D array with name and Creates a 3x2 blank array (3 people,
number for 3 people each with name and number)

DECLARE NamesAndNumbers : NamesANDNumbers = [[None, None],

ARRAY[1:3, 1:2] OF STRING [None, None], [None, None]]

1:3 = 3 rows → one for each person

1:2 = 2 columns → one for name,

one for number
OF STRING → both names and phone
numbers are stored as strings

Declare a 2D array called players with name and score assigned for 4 people
(Alice, Bob, Charlie & Daisy)

// Declare a 2D array with 4 rows and 2 # Each player has a name and a score
columns (name and score)
players = [
DECLARE players : ARRAY[1:4, 1:2] OF
["Alice", 25],
STRING

["Bob", 30],
// Assign values to each player

["Charlie", 22],
players[1,1] ← "Alice"

["Daisy", 28]
players[1,2] ← "25"

]
players[2,1] ← "Bob"

players[2,2] ← "30"

players[3,1] ← "Charlie"

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 players[3,2] ← "22"

players[4,1] ← "Daisy" Your notes

players[4,2] ← "28"

Assignment Assigning the name Holly to replace the name Charlie

players[3,1] ← "Holly" players[2][0] = "Holly" # Charlie is at index

2 (third row), name is at index 0

Examples
Initialising a 2D array with 3 rows and 3 columns, with the specified values

Pseudocode

DECLARE Array2D : ARRAY[1:3, 1:3] OF INTEGER

Array2D[1,1] ← 1
Array2D[1,2] ← 2
Array2D[1,3] ← 3
Array2D[2,1] ← 4
Array2D[2,2] ← 5
Array2D[2,3] ← 6
Array2D[3,1] ← 7
Array2D[3,2] ← 8
Array2D[3,3] ← 9

// Accessing elements in the 2D array

OUTPUT Array2D[1,1] // Output: 1
OUTPUT Array2D[2,3] // Output: 6

Python

array_2d = [[1, 2, 3],

[4, 5, 6],
[7, 8, 9]]

# Accessing elements in the 2D array

print(array_2d[0][0]) # Output: 1
print(array_2d[1][2]) # Output: 6

Iterating through a 2-dimensions array

When iterating through a 2D array, a nested FOR...NEXT loop can be used
Nested iteration to access items in the 2D array

Pseudocode

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DECLARE Row : INTEGER
DECLARE Col : INTEGER
FOR Row ← 1 TO 3 Your notes
FOR Col ← 1 TO 3
OUTPUT Array2D[Row, Col]
NEXT Col
NEXT Row

Python

for row in array_2d:

for item in row:
print(item, end=" ")
print() # Print a newline after each row

Examiner Tips and Tricks

In the exam, the question will always give an example to demonstrate which order the
array is being read from.
Some questions can be X,Y and others can be Y, X. Always refer to the example before
giving your answer!

Worked Example
A parent records the length of time being spent watching TV by 4 children
Data for one week (Monday to Friday) is stored in a 2D array with the identifier
minsWatched.

The following table shows the array

Quinn Lyla Harry Elias

0 1 2 3

Monday 0 34 67 89 78

Tuesday 1 56 43 45 56

Wednesday 2 122 23 34 45

Thursday 3 13 109 23 90

Friday 4 47 100 167 23

Elias watched 78 minutes of TV on Monday:

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 Identify the row for Monday: Row 0.
Identify the column for Elias: Column 3.
Find the value at minsWatched[0][3]: The value is 78 Your notes
Write a line of code to output the number of minutes that Lyla watched TV on Tuesday
[1]
Write a line of code to output the number of minutes that Harry watched TV on Friday
[1]
Write a line of code to output the number of minutes that Quinn watched TV on
Wednesday [1]
Answers
print(minsWatched[1][1] OR print(minsWatched[1,1]
print(minsWatched[4][2] OR print(minsWatched[4,2]
print(minsWatched[2][0] OR print(minsWatched[2,0]

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