DATA STRUCTURE AND ALGORITHM
What is data structure?
Is the way to organize, store process and retrieve data in a specific
format.
How?; This is depending on the problem requirement
Here’s how different data structures serve this purpose:
• Arrays and Lists: Used for storing a collection of items in a
sequential order. They allow quick access to elements by index,
making them suitable for cases where you frequently access
elements.
• Stacks and Queues: These are linear data structures that follow
specific access rules. Stacks follow Last-In-First-Out (LIFO), useful for
scenarios like undo operations. Queues follow First-In-First-Out
(FIFO), suitable for scheduling tasks.
• Linked Lists: They consist of nodes where each node points to the next. This
allows dynamic memory allocation and efficient insertions/deletions, useful in
scenarios where data size can vary.
• Trees: These hierarchical structures are ideal for representing relationships, like
file systems or hierarchical databases. Binary Trees and Binary Search Trees (BST)
help in efficient searching and sorting.
• Graphs: These represent networks and relationships, useful in scenarios like
social networks, path finding in maps, etc.
• Hash Tables: They provide a way to access data in constant time using keys,
useful in scenarios like databases and caching.
In a real-world where are data structures are used?
Data structures are fundamental to software development and are used in a variety
of real-world applications. Here are some common examples:
Databases: Data structures like hash tables, trees, and graphs are essential in
databases for organizing, indexing, and retrieving data quickly.
For example:
• B-trees are used to maintain sorted data and allow efficient insertion, deletion,
and search operations.
• Hash tables are often used for indexing, allowing quick lookups.
Web Development: Web browsers and web servers rely heavily on data
structures:
For example:
• Trees (like the Document Object Model or DOM tree) represent the structure of
HTML documents, allowing browsers to render pages correctly.
• Queues and Stacks are used in managing requests and managing the browsing
history (e.g., the back and forward buttons).
Routing and GPS Navigation: Graphs are used in mapping
applications (like Google Maps) to represent roads and intersections.
Algorithms like Dijkstra’s or A* use these graphs to find the shortest
or fastest path between locations.
Search Engines: Trees (such as tries) and hash tables are used to
store and index words and phrases for quick retrieval in search
results.
Cyber security: In cyber security, data structures are used for:
• Hash tables to store and quickly retrieve threat signatures.
• Bloom filters for quickly checking membership in a set, useful in
intrusion detection systems.
