C++ Primer Plus

vector, valarray, and array

Perhaps you are wondering why C++ has three array templates: vector, valarray, and array. These classes were developed by different groups for different purposes. The vector template class is part of a system of container classes and algorithms. The vector class supports container-oriented activities, such as sorting, insertion, rearrangement, searching, transferring data to other containers, and other manipulations. The valarray class template, on the other hand, is oriented toward numeric computation, and it is not part of the STL. It doesn’t have push_back() and insert() methods, for example, but it does provide a simple, intuitive interface for many mathematical operations. Finally, array is designed as a substitute ...