What is the purpose of the try-with-resources statement introduced in Java 7, and how does it improve resource management in Java?

The purpose of the try-with-resources statement, introduced in Java 7, is to ensure that each resource is closed at the end of the statement. This feature can be used to reduce code clutter and improve memory management, as it automatically closes resources that are no longer needed.

Here's how it works:

1. In traditional try-catch-finally blocks, you would have to manually close the resources in the finally block. This could lead to a lot of boilerplate code, especially when dealing with multiple resources.

2. With the try-with-resources statement, you declare the resource within the try statement itself. The Java runtime takes care of closing the resource after the try block has been executed, even if an exception is thrown within the block.

3. This automatic resource management not only makes the code cleaner and easier to read, but also eliminates the risk of resource leaks. In the past, forgetting to close a resource could lead to serious memory leaks.

4. It's also worth noting that the try-with-resources statement is not limited to a single resource. You can declare multiple resources within the try statement, and they will all be closed in the opposite order from which they were created.

Here's an example of how you might use the try-with-resources statement:

try (BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(new FileReader("file.txt"))) {
    // Use the BufferedReader
} catch (IOException e) {
    // Handle the exception
}

In this example, the BufferedReader is automatically closed at the end of the try block, whether an exception is thrown or not. This eliminates the need for a finally block to close the BufferedReader.