Welcome to the world of programming; it is indeed a lot of fun. If you just started to learn to program or somewhere in the middle of improving your programming skills, knowledge of data structures and algorithms is quite useful. These are some of the basic tools used in the writing of good code. Now let’s delve a little deep into data structures and algorithms.
What is a Data Structure?
In computer science, a data structure is a particular way of storing and organizing information in a computer so that it can be retrieved and modified most effectively.
Some common data structures include:
Arrays: An array is a structure that shows a row of boxes. Each box can hold something and is identified by a number. The boxes allow us to quickly grab items with their index, however adding and removing items are difficult.
Linked List: A linked list is a sequence of ordered nodes, where every node points to the next item of that particular kind. Such a structure is very convenient to add or remove items. However, it’s normally not as fast to reach a specific one.
Stacks: Imagine a stack of plates in which you can only put a new plate on top. It follows the Last In First Out or LIFO rule. Stacks are very useful for dealing with function calls or undo actions.
Queues: They work similar to a line at the grocery store. It follows First In First Out rule.
Hash Tables: This is a way to store data that can be retrieved quickly, through a unique key. It will be great if we need to search something quick.
Tree: Information is organized into a defined order, much like a family tree.
Graphs: Graphs consist of points called vertices connected by lines called edges. They represent how items are related.
What are Algorithms?
Algorithms are step-by-step procedures or rules for solving problems or tasks. Important features of algorithms include: -
Time Complexity: This has to do with the amount of time an algorithm takes with increasing size of input.
Space Complexity: This refers to how much memory is used by an algorithm based on size of input.
Sorting Algorithms: These are methods to put data in some order. Usual examples include the Bubble Sort, Merge Sort, and Quick Sort algorithms.
Why is this important?
Knowing data structures and algorithms is very important due to several reasons:
1.Efficiency
2.Problem Solving
3.Coding Interviews
4.Scalability