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Data structures support various operations that allow for the manipulation and
management of data. The specific operations depend on the type of data structure.
These operations are fundamental to working with data structures in programming.
The choice of a particular data structure and the efficiency of these operations are
critical considerations in algorithm design and software development.
Here are some common data structure operations:
Access (or Search):
● Arrays: Accessing elements using indices.
● Linked Lists: Traversing the list to find or access an element.
● Trees: Searching for a specific node.
Insertion:
● Arrays: Adding an element at a specific index or the end of the array.
● Linked Lists: Inserting a node at the beginning, end, or at a specific
position.
● Trees: Adding a node while maintaining the structure (e.g., in a binary
search tree).
Deletion:
● Arrays: Removing an element from a specific index.
● Linked Lists: Deleting a node from the list.
● Trees: Removing a node while maintaining the structure.
Traversal:
● Arrays: Iterating through elements.
● Linked Lists: Traversing the list from the beginning to the end.
● Trees: In-order, pre-order, and post-order traversals.
Sorting:
● Arrays: Sorting elements in ascending or descending order.
● Linked Lists: Sorting elements within the list.
● Trees: Performing in-order traversal on a binary search tree.
Searching:
● Arrays: Linear search or binary search for sorted arrays.
● Linked Lists: Linear search.
● Hash Tables: Retrieving data using a hash function.
Merging:
● Arrays: Combining two arrays into one.
● Linked Lists: Merging two linked lists.
● Trees: Merging two binary search trees.
1 NEHAL MEHDI, MCA, GOLD MEDALIST
Splitting:
● Arrays: Dividing an array into two subarrays.
● Linked Lists: Splitting a linked list into two.
● Trees: Splitting a binary search tree into two subtrees.
Concatenation:
● Arrays: Combining two arrays into one.
● Strings: Concatenating two strings.
● Linked Lists: Concatenating two linked lists.
Update (or Modification):
● Arrays: Changing the value of an element.
● Linked Lists: Modifying the data in a node.
● Trees: Updating the value of a node.
Memory Management:
● Dynamic Memory Allocation: Allocating and freeing memory as needed.
● Garbage Collection: Managing unused memory in languages with
automatic memory management.
Insertion: Adding a new element into a data structure, adjusting its organisation if
necessary.
Modification: Changing the value or content of an existing element in a data
structure.
Deletion: Removing an element from a data structure, potentially restructuring it.
Traversal: Visiting and accessing each element in a data structure systematically.
Sorting: Arranging elements in a specified order, often ascending or descending or
alphabetical.
Searching: Locating a specific element or determining its absence in a data structure.
Merging: Combining two or more data structures into a single, larger structure.
