Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Linked List
1. What is linked list data structure?
Linked list are most commonly used to handle dynamic data elements. Linked list consists of nodes and a node consists of two fields one for storing data and other for keeping the reference of next node.
2. What is linked list example?
A linked list can be assumed as a garland that is made up of flowers. Similarly, a linked list is made up of nodes. Every flower in this particular garland is referred to as a node. In addition, each node points to the next node in this list, and it contains data (in this case, the type of flower).
3. Why do we need linked list data structure??
There are some important advantages to using linked lists over other linear data structures. This is unlike arrays, as they are resizable at runtime. Additionally, they can be easily inserted and deleted.
4. What are linked lists used for?
The linked list is a linear data structure that stores data in nodes. these nodes hold both the data and a reference to the next node in the list. Linked are very efficient at adding and removing nodes because of their simple structure.
5. What is the difference between array and linked list?
There are some following differences between them:
- Arrays are data structures containing similar data elements, whereas linked lists are non-primitive data structures containing unordered linked elements.
- In an array, elements are indexed, but in a linked list nodes are not indexed.
- Accessing an element array is fast if we know the position of an element in the array, while in the Linked list it takes linear time so, the Linked list is quite bit slower.
- Operations like insertion and deletion in arrays take a lot of time. Whereas, the performance of these operations is faster in Linked lists.
- Arrays are of fixed size and their size is static but Linked lists are dynamic and flexible and can expand and shrink their size.
6. Why is a linked list preferred over an array?
Following are the reason that linked lists are preferred over array
- Nodes in a linked array, insertions, and deletions can be done at any point in the list at a constant time.
- Arrays are of fixed size and their size is static but Linked lists are dynamic and flexible and can expand and shrink their size.
- Linked lists provide an efficient way of storing related data and performing basic operations such as insertion, deletion, and updating of information at the cost of extra space required for storing the address.
- Insertion and deletion operations in the linked list are faster as compared to the array.
7. Which is the best array or linked list?
There are some advantages and disadvantages to both arrays and linked lists when it comes to storing linear data of similar types.
Advantages of linked list over arrays:
- Dynamic size: Linked lists are dynamic and flexible and can expand and shrink their size
- Ease of Insertion/Deletion: Insertion and deletion operations in linked list are faster as compared to the array
Disadvantages of linked list over arrays:
- If the array is sorted we can apply binary search to search any element which takes O(log(n)) time. But even if the linked list is sorted we cannot apply binary search and the complexity of searching elements in the linked list is O(n).
- A linked list takes more memory as compared to the array because extra memory space is required for the pointer with each element in the linked list.
8. What are the limitations of linked list?
Following are some limitations of the linked list:
- The use of pointers is more in linked lists hence, complex and requires more memory.
- Random access is not possible due to dynamic memory allocation.
- Traversing is more time-consuming and reverse traversing is not possible in singly linked lists.
- Searching for an element is costly and requires O(n) time complexity.
9. Why insertion/deletion are faster in a linked list?
If any element is inserted/ deleted from the array, all the other elements after it will be shifted in memory this takes a lot of time whereas manipulation in Linked List is faster because we just need to manipulate the addresses of nodes, so no bit shifting is required in memory, and it will not take that much of time.
10. What is the difference between a singly and doubly linked list?
Following are some difference between single and double linked list.
Singly-linked list (SLL) | Doubly linked list (DLL) |
---|---|
SLL nodes contains 2 field data field and next link field. | DLL nodes contains 3 fields data field, a previous link field and a next link field. |
In SLL, the traversal can be done using the next node link only. Thus traversal is possible in one direction only. | In DLL, the traversal can be done using the previous node link or the next node link. Thus traversal is possible in both directions (forward and backward). |
The SLL occupies less memory than DLL as it has only 2 fields. | The DLL occupies more memory than SLL as it has 3 fields. |
The Complexity of insertion and deletion at a given position is O(n). | The Complexity of insertion and deletion at a given position is O(n / 2) = O(n) because traversal can be made from start or from the end. |
Complexity of deletion with a given node is O(n), because the previous node needs to be known, and traversal takes O(n) | Complexity of deletion with a given node is O(1) because the previous node can be accessed easily |
A singly linked list consumes less memory as compared to the doubly linked list. | The doubly linked list consumes more memory as compared to the singly linked list. |
Introduction to Linked List – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials
Linked List is basically chains of nodes where each node contains information such as data and a pointer to the next node in the chain. It is a popular data structure with a wide range of real-world applications. In this article, we will provide a complete introduction of Linked List, which will help you tackle any problem based on Linked List.
Table of Content
- What is a Linked List?
- Basic Terminologies of Linked List
- Importance of Linked List
- Types of Linked List
- Singly Linked List
- Doubly Linked List
- Circular Linked List
- Implementation of Linked List
- Linked List vs. Array
- Advantages of Linked List
- Disadvantages of Linked List
- Applications of Linked List
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Linked list
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