E.9. Multidimensional Arrays

Multidimensional arrays with two dimensions are often used to represent tables of values consisting of information arranged in rows and columns. To identify a particular table element, we must specify two indices. By convention, the first identifies the element’s row and the second its column. Arrays that require two indices to identify a particular element are called two-dimensional arrays. (Multidimensional arrays can have more than two dimensions.) Java does not support multidimensional arrays directly, but it does allow you to specify one-dimensional arrays whose elements are also one-dimensional arrays, thus achieving the same effect. Figure E.15 illustrates a two-dimensional array named a that contains three rows and four columns (i.e., a three-by-four array). In general, an array with m rows and n columns is called an m-by-n array.