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Queue Exam Guide

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8 views2 pages

Queue Exam Guide

Uploaded by

gurly101
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Queue - Exam Preparation Guide

1. Introduction to Queues

A queue is a linear data structure that follows the First In First Out (FIFO) principle. Elements are inserted at the rear

(enqueue) and removed from the front (dequeue). Common terminology includes:

- Front: The first element of the queue

- Rear: The last element of the queue

- Enqueue: Adding an element to the rear

- Dequeue: Removing an element from the front

- Underflow: Attempting to dequeue from an empty queue

- Overflow: Attempting to enqueue to a full queue

2. Types of Queues

a) Linear Queue: A simple queue where elements are arranged linearly. Operations are performed at the front and rear

ends.

b) Circular Queue: A queue where the last element connects back to the first element, forming a circle, which helps to

utilize space efficiently.

c) Priority Queue: Elements are assigned priorities, and elements with higher priorities are dequeued before those with

lower priorities.

d) Double-Ended Queue (Deque): A queue where insertion and deletion can occur at both the front and rear ends.

3. Key Concepts

- Queue Implementation using Arrays: Simple but has fixed size.

- Queue Implementation using Linked Lists: Dynamic size, efficient memory usage.

- Circular Queue: Prevents wasted space in linear queues. Efficient for scenarios where array size matters.

- Applications: CPU Scheduling, Printer Queue Management, Customer Service Systems, etc.

4. Code Snippets and Examples

Here's how to implement a basic queue using arrays in Python:

class Queue:

def __init__(self, size):

self.queue = [None] * size


self.front = self.rear = -1

self.size = size

def enqueue(self, item):

if self.rear == self.size - 1:

print("Queue Overflow")

return

if self.front == -1:

self.front = 0

self.rear += 1

self.queue[self.rear] = item

def dequeue(self):

if self.front == -1 or self.front > self.rear:

print("Queue Underflow")

return None

item = self.queue[self.front]

self.front += 1

return item

5. Common Interview Questions and Answers

- Q: How would you implement a queue using two stacks?

A: Push elements onto stack1 for enqueue and pop from stack2 for dequeue, transferring elements if necessary.

- Q: What is the difference between a circular and a linear queue?

A: Circular queues wrap around to utilize memory efficiently, whereas linear queues can lead to memory wastage.

- Q: Write code to reverse a queue.

A: Use a stack to store elements temporarily, then dequeue and re-enqueue items from the stack.

6. Practice Problems

- Implement a queue using linked lists in C++.

- Write a function to check if a given queue can be sorted using a stack.

- Implement a priority queue and discuss its time complexity.

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