Final answer:
Indexing the array: shift left with variable-sized arrays involves adjusting the starting index based on the variable size, ensuring proper alignment during left shifts.
Step-by-step explanation:
When shifting an array left with variable-sized arrays, the key is to dynamically adjust the starting index to accommodate the variable size. Let's denote the original starting index as `start_index` and the variable size as `var_size`. To shift the array left, the new starting index would be `start_index - var_size`. This ensures that the elements are shifted left by the correct amount, considering the variability in array size.
For example, if the original array is [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] with a starting index of 0 and a variable size of 2, the shifting left would result in [3, 4, 5] with the adjusted starting index of 0 - 2 = -2. This calculation aligns the array elements correctly based on the variable size.
It's crucial to handle edge cases where the adjusted starting index becomes negative or exceeds the array size. In such cases, modular arithmetic can be employed to wrap around the array. For instance, if the adjusted starting index is -1, it would wrap around to the last element of the array.
In summary, the process involves calculating the new starting index by subtracting the variable size and considering modular arithmetic for edge cases. This ensures a proper left shift with variable-sized arrays.