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Data Structure

Data structures are specialized formats for organizing and managing data, classified into linear (e.g., arrays, linked lists) and non-linear (e.g., trees, graphs) categories. Linear structures allow sequential storage and easy traversal, while non-linear structures enable complex relationships and efficient operations like searching and sorting. The choice of data structure significantly affects algorithm performance and is crucial for designing efficient software systems.

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4 views

Data Structure

Data structures are specialized formats for organizing and managing data, classified into linear (e.g., arrays, linked lists) and non-linear (e.g., trees, graphs) categories. Linear structures allow sequential storage and easy traversal, while non-linear structures enable complex relationships and efficient operations like searching and sorting. The choice of data structure significantly affects algorithm performance and is crucial for designing efficient software systems.

Uploaded by

aiswaryapj6796
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DATA STRUCTURE

A data structure is a specialized format for organizing, managing, and storing data in a way that allows for efficient
access and modification. Data structures are classified into two main categories: linear and non-linear. Linear data
structures, like arrays, linked lists, stacks, and queues, store elements sequentially, making it easy to traverse but
sometimes inefficient for operations like insertion or deletion. Arrays allow random access, but resizing can be costly,
while linked lists allow dynamic resizing but can make access slower. Non-linear data structures, like trees and graphs,
organize data in hierarchical or interconnected ways, enabling more complex relationships between elements and
supporting operations like searching, sorting, and traversal efficiently. Trees, such as binary trees or binary search trees,
maintain a sorted structure to allow fast searching and manipulation, while graphs model relationships between
entities with nodes and edges, widely used in network routing and social media analysis. Hash tables provide an
efficient way to map keys to values using a hash function, making lookups, insertions, and deletions very fast on
average. Additionally, heaps are tree-based structures used in priority queues, where elements are ordered based on
priority rather than sequence. The choice of a data structure impacts algorithm performance significantly, as operations
like search, insertion, deletion, and traversal vary in time complexity depending on the structure, with more
sophisticated structures like trees and hash tables offering optimized performance for specific tasks. Understanding
and choosing the right data structure is fundamental to designing efficient and scalable software systems.

Data structures are generally classified into two main categories:

1. Linear Data Structures

2. Non-Linear Data Structures

Linear Data Structures

In linear data structures, elements are stored in a sequential manner, and each element is connected to the
previous and next one in a linear sequence. Operations like traversal, insertion, deletion, and searching are
typically performed in a linear order.

Non-Linear Data Structures

In non-linear data structures, elements are not arranged sequentially. Instead, they are organized in a
hierarchical or interconnected manner, allowing for more complex relationships between the elements.

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