What is the difference between NumPy arrays and Pandas DataFrames in memory layout?

NumPy arrays store homogeneous contiguous memory, while DataFrames use multiple aligned arrays per column.

NumPy arrays are single-block contiguous memory structures optimized for numerical computation. Pandas DataFrames are built on top of multiple NumPy arrays (one per column), managed by an internal index alignment layer. This allows heterogeneous types but adds overhead for alignment and metadata handling.