Which data structure is described as storing data in an array?

Which data structure is described as storing data in an array?

• A. Dictionary and maps store data in an array.
• B. Stack stores data in a linear fashion.
• C. Floating point stores data in an array.
• D. Event-driven programming stores data in an array.

Answer: (A)

Understanding how some data structures are stored in memory helps explain why a dictionary or map is described as storing data in an array. Dictionaries and maps are often implemented as hash tables, which use an underlying array of buckets. A hash function assigns each key to a position in that array, so entries are stored and retrieved by indexing into the array. That contiguous, array-backed layout is what the statement is referring to. The other options describe different ideas: a stack is about the order of access (LIFO) and may be implemented with various storage, a floating point is a numeric type, and event-driven programming is a programming paradigm rather than a storage mechanism.

Understanding how some data structures are stored in memory helps explain why a dictionary or map is described as storing data in an array. Dictionaries and maps are often implemented as hash tables, which use an underlying array of buckets. A hash function assigns each key to a position in that array, so entries are stored and retrieved by indexing into the array. That contiguous, array-backed layout is what the statement is referring to. The other options describe different ideas: a stack is about the order of access (LIFO) and may be implemented with various storage, a floating point is a numeric type, and event-driven programming is a programming paradigm rather than a storage mechanism.