In what scenarios would a strict comparison be necessary when using the in_array function in PHP?

When using the in_array function in PHP, a strict comparison (using the third parameter as true) is necessary when you want to check for both the value and the type of the elements in the array. This is important because by default, in_array uses loose comparison, which can lead to unexpected results when comparing different data types. By using strict comparison, you ensure that both the value and the type are matched when checking for the presence of an element in the array.

$array = [1, 2, '3'];

// Using loose comparison
if (in_array('3', $array)) {
    echo 'Found using loose comparison';
}

// Using strict comparison
if (in_array('3', $array, true)) {
    echo 'Found using strict comparison';
}