Introduction:
It is a clever idea for beginners to start with the basics of data structures, and then work their way up to more complex ones. This introduction will cover what a data structure is, what they are used for, and how they are implemented in programming.
What do you learn?
- Definition of data structures
- Array definition
- Array size
- Linked list definition
- Linked list size
- Stack definition
- Stack size
- Queue definition
- Queue size
What are Data Structures?
Data structures are one of the most important concepts in computer science. They can be used to represent any kind of entity which needs to be stored or processed by a computer. Data structures allow programmers to think about how data can be stored and manipulated without having to worry about how it will happen at runtime.
The most common data structures which programmers deal with are lists, arrays, and trees. These structures can be used to represent many entities such as mathematical expressions or sets. Each structure has its own type of operations that it can support which determines what kind of tasks a programmer can do with them. Lists have many uses like storing a list of employees for an organization or the elements in an array for performing matrix operations.
Data structures are a way to organise data in a program. A data structure is a type of container used to hold information together so that it can be easily accessed, sorted, rearranged, and deleted. There are many distinct types of data structures, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. Data structures store information in an organised fashion and allow programmers to access this information efficiently.
Data structures can be categorized into two main categories: primitive data types and composite data types. Primitive data types include integers, floats, strings, booleans, and so on. Composite data types include arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, and graphs.
What are Arrays?
An array is a data type that can store a fixed number of items of the same kind. They are easy to read, write, and manipulate with basic programming. With arrays you can access individual items by their position in the array with a unique identifier called an index.
Arrays are one of the most used data structures in computer programming. Data are a collection of items that have a common name, type, and structure. In an array, items have the same data type and can be accessed using an index number.
Arrays are used in C programming languages to store lists of items. They can be created with the help of square brackets "[]" followed by an identifier for the array, followed by a list of values inside curly brackets "{" and "}".
What are Linked Lists?
Linked lists are a collection of data that is stored in sequential order. The list has a pointer to the next node, which is called the "next" pointer.
Linked lists are a versatile data structure in computing. As one of the simplest data structures, it can be used to represent a variety of distinct kinds of data, whether it be unordered or ordered. Linked lists are commonly used when processing large datasets because they can grow and shrink in size without any difficulty.
The linked list size is typically defined by the number of nodes it contains.
This is a simple, yet crucial concept for understanding the way that linked lists work. The size of a list is most often the number of nodes that it contains.
What are Stacks?
A stack is a data structure that follows a last-in-first-out (LIFO) principle. This means that the most recent items are always at the top of the stack, and when you remove an item from the stack, it’s usually the most recent one.
Stacks are often used in computer programming, and they can be implemented using a linked list or an array. The linked list version is more efficient because it doesn’t require as much memory as an array would. Stacks are used in many programming languages, including C++, Java, and Python. They’re also used for a variety of purposes, such as:
- Sorting algorithms
- Converting numbers into strings or vice versa
What are Queues?
A queue is a data structure that stores objects in first in, first out (FIFO) order. They can be either an array or a linked list.
When an object is added to the queue, it will always be added at the end of the list. When an object is removed from the queue, it’s usually the one that was in there for longest amount of time. The first object to be added to the queue is called the front of queue, and each subsequent addition will be placed on top of it. The same object can be added more than once in a queue, but each time it is added, it will be placed on top of all previous instances in that order.
It’s like a stack, but in a queue, you can only add and remove items from the end. You cannot access or modify the items in any other way than by adding or removing them from the end of the queue.
The queue is an immensely popular data structure and is used in every computer application. You’ve used one or two queues before without knowing it, since they are implemented in many places throughout an operating system (OS). For example, when you print something on your computer it gets added to the end of a queue of documents waiting to be printed. When you send an email using Outlook or Gmail, that email message is stored in another queue until the recipient reads it and replies, at which point they place their response into yet another queue.
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