Zero-initialised allocation

Challenge

Allocate a zero-initialised int array using calloc, which both reserves and zeroes the memory in one call.

Task

Implement int *zeros(int n) that returns an array of n ints allocated with calloc, so every element is 0. No main — the grader calls it and frees the result.

Input

n — the number of ints to allocate.

Output

On success, returns a calloc-ed int* of length n, all elements 0. The caller frees it. Return NULL for invalid/empty requests or allocation failure, as specified in the contract below.

Example

zeros(4)   ->   {0, 0, 0, 0}

Rules

• Use calloc (not malloc + manual zeroing). The caller frees the result.

Why this matters

Drill: practice one contract before combining it with other skills.

Input format

n — the number of ints to allocate.

Output format

On success, returns a calloc-ed int* of length n, all elements 0. The caller frees it. Return NULL for invalid/empty requests or allocation failure, as specified in the contract below.

Constraints

Return NULL for n <= 0 or unrepresentable byte size. Otherwise use calloc for n ints. Allocation failure returns NULL; caller owns and frees success.

Starter code

#include <stdlib.h>

int *zeros(int n) {
    /* TODO */
    return NULL;
}

Common mistakes

Using malloc without initialization or zeroing only the first element.

Edge cases to handle

One element, all elements zero, invalid counts, and forced allocation failure.

Up next

• Append with realloc