What are the drawbacks of using a numerical index like $z in a multidimensional array in PHP?

Using a numerical index like $z in a multidimensional array in PHP can make the code less readable and harder to maintain, especially when dealing with nested arrays. To solve this issue, it is recommended to use associative keys for multidimensional arrays to make the code more descriptive and easier to understand.

// Using associative keys instead of numerical index for multidimensional array
$student = array(
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'age' => 20,
    'grades' => array(
        'math' => 90,
        'science' => 85,
        'history' => 88
    )
);

// Accessing values using associative keys
echo $student['name']; // Output: John Doe
echo $student['grades']['math']; // Output: 90