UNDERSTANDING DATA STRUCTURES AND ALGORITHMS

Data structure and algorithms are the most important aspects of computer science. Being a computer science learner, one has to gain the domain knowledge of data structure. It is necessary to study the concept of data structures and algorithm design to perform various tasks on data structures. In real-time situations, learner has to keenly observe the functioning of the computer which is purely based on the concept of data structure. In daily life, one who uses a computing device to perform certain operations will be using Google searches, call and contact lists, web browsing history, e-mail listing, unlocking mobile devices, location search on maps and many more. One gets the curiosity to know and study the workings of these. To understand many concepts, it is essential to study and understand the data structure involved in the tasks.  Hence, obtaining knowledge of data structure and algorithms is essential for any student of computer science.

This material is designed to make the study of data structure easy and make the concept clear. This book serves as a self-learning kit for the reader who may not have a computer programming background. The systematic approach adopted here helps the learner to crack the nutshell and enjoy the core.

This book is organized into seven chapters. The first chapter covers the fundamental aspects like Data Definition, Classification, Characteristics, need and operations of Data Structure, Memory Allocation, and Concepts of Algorithms, problem domain, and its types. The second chapter introduces the array concept, its memory representation, operations, advantages, disadvantages, and applications of arrays. The third chapter defines the stack, operations, and applications of the stack, its advantages and disadvantages. In the fourth chapter, we look into the concept of queue, types, operations, and applications. The fifth chapter deals with Linked allocations, Lists, Linked list, their types, and operations. The sixth chapter explains the Trees, their types, memory representation, and traversal. In the Seventh Chapter, we discuss the Graphs, their representation, and traversal.

The Material is stuffed with lots of relevant examples, worked examples and a kind of case studies for every algorithm which enhances the understandability for the reader. The author is focusing on learner’s point of view, producing this material in the form of book. The experience gained, by being in the teaching field, has inspired me to present this book. Necessary and required diagrams and tabulated information along with a large number of worked examples and questions in the exercises assist the students to understand the subject easily. Algorithms in the book are presented in a way that readers can easily understand the method of solving problems.