Question

What is usually the first subscript in an array?

Short answer

**Answer**: The first subscript in an array refers to the index of the first element in the array. The starting subscript index can differ between programming languages. In most programming languages like C, C++, Java, and Python, the first subscript starts at 0. In some others like Fortran, MATLAB, and R, the first subscript starts at 1.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction to Arrays

An array is a data structure that allows you to store multiple elements of the same data type in a single entity. Arrays have indices for each element, and we use these indices (or subscripts) to access the array's elements. The first index (subscript) depends on the programming language being used.

First Subscript in Different Languages

The first subscript in an array can be either 0 or 1, depending on the programming language used. In most programming languages, such as C, C++, Java, and Python, the first subscript starts at 0. However, in some other languages, like Fortran, MATLAB, and R, the first subscript starts at 1.

Examples of First Subscript

Here are examples of declaring an array and accessing its first element in different programming languages: - Python: ```python arr = [1, 2, 3] first_element = arr[0] ``` - C/C++/Java: ```c int arr[] = {1, 2, 3}; int first_element = arr[0]; ``` - Fortran: ```fortran integer, dimension(3) :: arr = (/ 1, 2, 3 /) integer :: first_element = arr(1) ``` - MATLAB/R: ```MATLAB arr = [1, 2, 3]; first_element = arr(1); ``` Remember that the first subscript in an array varies depending on the programming language being used. It starts at 0 in most languages, but it starts at 1 in some others.