'1','3','5'), array('sample_2' =>'2','4','6') ); echo '
'; print_r($var1); echo '
'; echo '
'; echo '$var1 [0][sample_1]...value =>'. $var1 [0]['sample_1']; //1 echo '
'; echo '-------->[0][0].................value =>'. $var1[0][0]; //3 echo '
'; echo '-------->[0][1].................value =>'.$var1[0][1]; //5 echo '
'; echo '
'; echo '$var1 [1][sample_2]...value =>'. $var1 [1]['sample_2']; //2 echo '
'; echo '-------->[1][0].................value =>'. $var1[1][0]; //4 echo '
'; echo '-------->[1][1].................value =>'. $var1[1][1]; //6 echo '
'; echo '
'; ?>

The smallest multidimensional array is the two-dimensional array.

The dimension of an array is defined by the number of indices used as selected elements in the array.

This is a two-dimensional array:
$var1=array(array)

i had mistakenly taken [sample_1] and [sample_2] to be the 'indices' of a three dimensional array but they are just two two-dimensional arrays in that it takes two indices to select an array element:
$var1[0][sample_1], $var1[0][0], $var1[1][sample_2], etc.

A three dimensional array would be of the type:
$var1=(array(array(array)))

It requires three indices to select an element, for example:
$var1[0][1][2]

The original code is a sample code @
www.wikitechy.com/php/php-multidimensional-arrays ;

multi-Dimensional Array.php