Multidimensional arrays in C language

An array that contains other arrays is said to be multidimensional. These arrays are often set up with rows and columns in a rectangular or cube-like structure.

Using two pairs of square brackets and a comma to divide the number of entries in each dimension, we can declare a two-dimensional array.

Syntax of multidimensional array:

data_type array_name[size1][size2]...[sizeN];
  • data_type is the data type of the array elements
  • array_name is the name of the array.
  • size1, size2, …, sizeN are the sizes of the array dimensions, separated by commas.

Here, matrix is the name of the array, and it can hold 3 rows and 3 columns. We can initialize the array elements during the declaration, like this:

int matrix[3][3] = { {1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}, {7, 8, 9} };

This initializes the array with the values 1 to 9 in a row-wise fashion. We can access the elements of the array using two indices, one for the row and another for the column. For example, matrix[0][0] refers to the element in the first row and first column, which is 1.

Similarly, we can declare and initialize a three-dimensional array like this:

int cube[2][3][4] = {
    { {1, 2, 3, 4}, {5, 6, 7, 8}, {9, 10, 11, 12} },
    { {13, 14, 15, 16}, {17, 18, 19, 20}, {21, 22, 23, 24} }
};

This creates a 2x3x4 array, with two “slices” of 3 rows and 4 columns each. We can access the elements of the array using three indices, one for each dimension. For example, cube[1][2][1] refers to the element in the second slice, third row, and second column, which is 22.

Example of multidimensional array:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   int matrix[2][3] = {{1, 2, 3}, {4, 5, 6}}; // declaration and initialization

   // accessing elements of the array using nested loops
   for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
      for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
         printf("%d ", matrix[i][j]);
      }
      printf("\n");
   }

   return 0;
}

Output:

1 2 3
4 5 6

In this example, we have declared and initialized a 2-dimensional array named matrix of size 2 rows by 3 columns. We then use nested loops to access and print each element of the array.

Another example of multidimensional array:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
   int rows, cols;

   printf("Enter the number of rows: ");
   scanf("%d", &rows);
   printf("Enter the number of columns: ");
   scanf("%d", &cols);

   int arr[rows][cols];

   // Taking input for array elements
   printf("Enter the array elements: \n");
   for (int i = 0; i < rows; i++) {
      for (int j = 0; j < cols; j++) {
         scanf("%d", &arr[i][j]);
      }
   }

   // Displaying array elements
   printf("The array elements are: \n");
   for (int i = 0; i < rows; i++) {
      for (int j = 0; j < cols; j++) {
         printf("%d ", arr[i][j]);
      }
      printf("\n");
   }

   return 0;
}

Output:

Enter the number of rows: 2
Enter the number of columns: 3
Enter the array elements:
1 2 3
4 5 6
The array elements are:
1 2 3
4 5 6
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