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Introducing Data Structures

Data structures are collections of data organized in a specific way to efficiently access and manage the data. They serve as the basis for abstract data types and are chosen based on the application. Common examples of data structures include arrays, linked lists, records, and hash tables. Data structures are crucial for efficiently handling large amounts of data, as they provide structured storage and retrieval methods that are key to designing efficient algorithms.

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9 views

Introducing Data Structures

Data structures are collections of data organized in a specific way to efficiently access and manage the data. They serve as the basis for abstract data types and are chosen based on the application. Common examples of data structures include arrays, linked lists, records, and hash tables. Data structures are crucial for efficiently handling large amounts of data, as they provide structured storage and retrieval methods that are key to designing efficient algorithms.

Uploaded by

Isaac Eremas
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Topic 3: Introducing Data Structures

 Explain what data structures are

In computer science, a data structure is a data organization, management, and storage format that
is usually chosen for efficient access to data. More precisely, a data structure is a collection of data
values, the relationships among them, and the functions or operations that can be applied to the
data, i.e., it is an algebraic structure about data.

Usage of data structures

Data structures serve as the basis for abstract data types (ADT). The ADT defines the logical form of
the data type. The data structure implements the physical form of the data type.[5]
Different types of data structures are suited to different kinds of applications, and some are highly
specialized to specific tasks. For example, relational databases commonly use B-tree indexes for
data retrieval,[6] while compiler implementations usually use hash tables to look up identifiers.[7]
Data structures provide a means to manage large amounts of data efficiently for uses such as
large databases and internet indexing services. Usually, efficient data structures are key to
designing efficient algorithms. Some formal design methods and programming
languages emphasize data structures, rather than algorithms, as the key organizing factor in
software design. Data structures can be used to organize the storage and retrieval of information
stored in both main memory and secondary memory.
Examples of Data Structures types are;

An array is a number of elements in a specific order, typically all of the same type (depending on the
language, individual elements may either all be forced to be the same type, or may be of almost any
type).
A linked list (also just called list) is a linear collection of data elements of any type, called nodes,
where each node has itself a value, and points to the next node in the linked list.
A record (also called tuple or struct) is an aggregate data structure. A record is a value that contains
other values, typically in fixed number and sequence and typically indexed by names.
Hash tables, also known as hash maps, are data structures that provide fast retrieval of values
based on keys. They use a hashing function to map keys to indexes in an array, allowing for
constant-time access in the average case.
A data structure known as a hash table.
.

 Explain why data structures are need

 Give general examples of the use of data structures

 Express appreciation for the practical application of data structures in real life

 Linear and Non-Linear Data Structures

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