Duplicate an array

Challenge

Make an independent heap copy of an array, so the caller gets its own buffer to modify and free.

Task

Implement int *dup_array(const int *a, int n) that returns a freshly malloc-ed copy of the first n elements of a. No main — the grader calls it and frees the result.

Input

a — pointer to the source int array. n — the number of elements to copy.

Output

Returns a new malloc-ed int* (distinct from a) holding a copy of the n elements. The caller frees it.

Example

int src[] = {3, 1, 4, 1, 5};
dup_array(src, 5)   ->   {3, 1, 4, 1, 5}   (a separate block, src != copy)

Rules

• The copy is a separate heap block; the caller frees it.

Input format

a — source int array; n — element count to copy.

Output format

A new malloc-ed copy of the n elements (caller frees).

Constraints

Return a separate heap block; the caller frees it.

Starter code

#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

int *dup_array(const int *a, int n) {
    /* TODO */
    return NULL;
}