Are there built-in PHP array functions that can simplify the process of transforming arrays for specific purposes like in the provided example?

To simplify the process of transforming arrays for specific purposes, PHP provides built-in array functions like array_map and array_filter. These functions allow you to apply a callback function to each element of an array, making it easier to manipulate array data without the need for manual iteration.

// Example: Transforming an array of numbers to their squares
$numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5];

// Using array_map to transform the array
$squares = array_map(function($num) {
    return $num * $num;
}, $numbers);

print_r($squares);