Arrays 1: Some Fundamentals

Abstract

The aims of the chapter are to introduce the fundamental concepts of arrays and do loop s, in particular:

• To introduce the idea of tables of data and some of the formal terms used to describe them:

  • Array.

  • Vector.

  • List and linear list.

• To discuss the array as a random access structure where any element can be accessed as readily as any other and to note that the data in an array are all of the same type.

• To introduce the twin concepts of data structure and corresponding control structure .

• To introduce the statements necessary in Fortran to support and manipulate these data structures .

Thy gifts, thy tables, are within my brain Full charactered with lasting memory.

William Shakespeare, The Sonnets

Here, take this book, and peruse it well: The iterating of these lines brings gold.

Christopher Marlowe, The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus