Chapter 7: Problem 27

You cannot use the _________ operator to copy data from one array to another in a single statement.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Answer: The "=" (assignment) operator cannot be used for copying data from one array to another in a single statement. This is because the assignment operator only copies the memory address (reference) of the original array, instead of creating a new array with copied data. When using the "=" operator, changes made to one array will also affect the other, as they refer to the same memory location. Instead of using the assignment operator, one should use a loop or other programmatic methods to copy each element individually.

Step by step solution

Introduction to operators and arrays

An operator is a symbol that represents a specific action, such as addition, subtraction, or multiplication, in computer programming languages. Arrays are data structures that store elements of the same data type in a continuous memory location.

Copying data between arrays

When copying data between arrays, one might expect a simple statement, like using an "=" or "==" operator, would suffice. However, this is not the case, since those operators will only copy the reference to the array, not the actual elements.

Operator that cannot be used for copying data

The operator that cannot be used for copying data from one array to another in a single statement is the "=" (assignment) operator. When using the "=" operator, it will only copy the memory address (reference) of the original array, instead of creating a new array with the same data.

Reason for the limitation of the assignment operator

When using the "=" operator to copy an array, it will essentially create a new reference to the same memory location, instead of copying the data itself. If we change the value(s) of one array, the other array's value will also change, since they refer to the same memory location. That is not the intended behavior when copying arrays. To properly copy data between arrays, we need to use a loop or other programmatic methods to copy each element individually.

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You cannot use the _________ operator to copy data from one array to another in a single statement.

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Introduction to operators and arrays

Copying data between arrays

Operator that cannot be used for copying data

Reason for the limitation of the assignment operator

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