import numpy as np 
a = np.arange(8).reshape(2,4) 
print 'The original array:' 
print a 
print '\n' 

print 'After applying the flat function:' 
# returns element corresponding to index in flattened array 
print a.flat[5]

The original array:
[[0 1 2 3]
 [4 5 6 7]]

After applying the flat function:
5