Applications of Data Structure

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DSA Problem Solving for Interviews using Java
DSA Problem Solving for Interviews using Java
by Jitender Punia
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DSA Problem Solving for Interviews using Java
DSA Problem Solving for Interviews using Java
by Jitender Punia
1000
4.9
Start Learning
Topics Covered

Overview

To efficiently organize, analyze, store, and retrieve information from a computer, data structures are a specific manner of grouping data in a specialized format. They are a method of handling data that makes it simple to use. The foundation of every program, piece of software, or application of data structure is made up of two elements: algorithms and data. Algorithms are rules and instructions that transform data into something programming-useful. Data is information. They are crucial elements in building quick and effective algorithms. They assist in managing and organizing data so that our code is clearer and simpler to comprehend. Data structures can be the difference between a mediocre product and one that is exceptional. All of the data structures' real-time applications are covered in this article.

Takeaways

This article helps us to choose the correct algorithm and data structures for a problem.

Applications of Arrays

An array is a data structure used in programming that stores homogenous data linearly. The array's size is fixed, meaning that once stated, it cannot be changed. In other words, an array holds data in a contiguous memory region that is of the same type (for example, an int, float, text, Boolean, etc.). Any location in an array can be accessed in constant time, which is the major advantage of an array over any other data structure and that is why it is so helpful in the design of other data structures. A basic building block in many data structures is an array. Some of the most common uses of arrays are as follows:

  • Contacts on a mobile device
  • storing information in a table format
  • Matrix storage and binary tree elements with fixed counts
  • A component of other data structures, including heaps, vectors, and more,
  • If a user wants to reserve a seat in C-4 using an online ticketing system, the array becomes seat[C][4] or seat[3][4].
  • The leaderboard of a game can be organized simply by using arrays to store the scores and sort them in ascending order so that each player's position is obvious.
  • Image processing employs2Darrays, also referred to as matrices.
  • Additionally, it is utilized in speech processing, where every speech signal is an array.
  • Another multidimensional array of pixels is your viewing screen.
  • The names of books in a library management system.
  • Booking tickets online.
  • To keep track of a chessboard's potential moves.
  • To keep pictures of a particular size

Applications of Linked Lists

A linked list can be regarded as both a linear and a dynamic data structure. There are numerous nodes in the linked list. A single node is the object that has components like next and data pointers, which points to the subsequent node in the case of a circular, singly linked list, and previous pointers, which points to the preceding node in the case of a doubly linked list. This results in a structure that resembles a chain. Since memory allocation is done at runtime, operations like insertion, append, and deletion may be efficiently completed without rearranging the entire list. However, if we wish to perform the same actions on an array that must allocate fixed memory, the run time will become more expensive. Basic to advanced procedures can be carried out using a linked list. Since it is dynamic, a change in size or length can be made as needed. Real-world applications make extensive use of it because of how well it works and the many advantages it offers to memory.

Some of the most common uses of Linked Lists are as follows:

  • It is used to build queues and stacks, two concepts that are important to computer science.
  • We employ a singly linked list to avoid data in the hash map, colliding with one another.
  • If we've ever observed how a common notepad works, we'll see that it too uses a single linked list to carry out undo, redo, and delete operations.
  • It can be used in a photo viewer to allow for continuous viewing of images in a slide show.
  • By keeping a pointer to the most recent node inserted, it may also be used to create queues, and the front can always be reached as next of last.
  • Advanced data structures like the Fibonacci Heap are implemented using circular doubly Linked Lists. Additionally, it is simple to find a reference to the previous node in this.
  • The operating system also makes use of it to divide up time among many users, typically using a round-robin time-sharing algorithm (this technique is based on the round-robin concept, according to which each individual alternately receives an equal portion of something). It is the earliest and most basic scheduling technique and is mostly employed for multitasking.
  • A circular list is used in multiplayer video games to loop between players.
  • Navigation systems, which require both front and back navigation, make excellent use of the doubly linked list.
  • The idea of doubly linked list is employed in web browsers to implement the functionality of backward and forward switching across tabs.
  • It is utilized in music-playing systems that allow for simple playback of the previous or next song as many times as desired by the user. In essence, it offers complete flexibility to carry out tasks and makes the system user-friendly.
  • It is utilized in the idea of a well-known card game.

Applications of Trees

In contrast to linked list and arrays, tree is a non-linear data structure. Because each node might have numerous child that are placed on various levels, the data structure is hierarchical. The uppermost node of a tree data structure is known as the root node. Each node has references to other nodes that are referred to as children and every node has some data as well. Some of the most common uses of Trees are as follows:

  • The data that we keep on our computers is organized in a hierarchy, with files being kept in each folder. Each folder has several subfolders that also show hierarchy. Each folder or subfolder may contain a large number of files, such as HTML documents.
  • The PDF file format is built around trees. There is a root node at the beginning, followed by a catalogue node (which is typically the same), then pages, which includes several child page nodes. Both producers and consumers typically utilise a balanced tree to store documents in memory.
  • Heap is one of the other tree data structures that implements a priority queue and employs an array to store the elements of the nodes. In contrast to Max Heap, which has a parent node that is larger than all of its children, Min Heap has a parent that is smaller than all of its children.
  • A deck of cards, the basis of a well-known game, uses Trees.
  • Trie: It is a special kind of tree that is used to store the dictionary. It is a fast and efficient way for dynamic spell checking.
  • Heap: It is also a tree data structure implemented using arrays. It is used to implement priority queues.
  • B-Tree and B+Tree: B-Tree and B+Tree are the tree data structures used to implement indexing in databases.
  • Routing table: The tree data structure is also used to store the data in routing tables in the routers.
  • Suffix Tree has various applications like finding the longest repeated substring, longest common substring, etc. .
  • As a workflow for compositing digital images for visual effects.
  • Domain Name Server(DNS) also uses tree structures.

Applications of Stacks

A stack is a structure based on the last in, first out (LIFO) principle and composed of several homogenous pieces. It is an abstract data type that is frequently used and has the two main operations of push and pop. The top of the stack, is subjected to push and pop operations. While the pop operation removes an element from the top spot, the push operation adds an element to the stack. Computer memory management and programming both employ the stack notion.

Some of the most common uses of Stacks are as follows:

  • The evaluation of expressions with operands and operators can be done using a stack.
  • Stacks can be used for backtracking, or to verify if an expression's parenthesis match.
  • It can also be used to change the expression from one form to another.
  • It can be applied to formally manage memories.
  • Text editors have an undo and redo feature.
  • A web browser stores its history as a stack of items.
  • As a stack, call logs, emails, and Google images are also kept in any gallery.
  • Additionally displayed in LIFO format are YouTube downloads and notifications (the latest appears first ).
  • String Reversal: Another fantastic application of Stack is String Reversal. Each character in the stack is added one by one at this point. As a result, the first character of the stack is at the bottom and the last character of the string is at the top. We obtain the String in Reverse Order after performing the pop operation on the Stack.
  • Syntax Parsing: There are numerous context-free programming languages. In light of this, the majority of Compilers likewise significantly rely on the stack for Syntax Parsing.
  • Memory Management: The Operating System's crucial memory management feature. When it comes to memory management, the stack is also the key component.
  • The process of calling a function and returning from it is another excellent use of a stack. We must return from the function area to the location we left under our control after calling the function. Therefore, we wish to continue working on our project rather than start over. Because of this, we first go to the function body to execute it before storing the location of the program counter in the stack. When the execution is finished, the address from the stack is removed and assigned to the program counter so that the task can be resumed.

Applications of Queues

A fundamental data structure used in programming applications is a queue. It is a linear data structure or an abstract data type that holds the items in an order. It accesses elements using the FIFO method (First In First Out). Queues are frequently used to construct priority queuing systems and manage threads in multithreading. The various forms of queue data structures, fundamental operations, implementation, and queue applications will all be covered in this article.

Some of the most common uses of Queues are as follows:

  • Utilised as waiting lists for a single shared resource, such as a printer, disc, or CPU.
  • Operating system application to manage interruption.
  • Applied to playing from the front or adding a song at the end. To add and remove tracks from the playlist in media players, queues are used.
  • When we send messages to pals using WhatsApp and they don't have an internet connection, the messages are queued up on WhatsApp's server.
  • When data is not being transferred between two processes at the same rate, such as when using pipes, file IO, or sockets, queues are employed.
  • In the majority of applications, including MP3 media players and CD players, queues serve as buffers.
  • Job Scheduling: The computer is scheduled to carry out each of the tasks one at a time. There are numerous tasks in the system, including keyboard and mouse clicks. These tasks are loaded into the primary memory. These jobs are given one by one to the processor in a queue-organized fashion.
  • Multiprogramming is the process of running numerous programs simultaneously in the main memory. The different programs are arranged in queues in the main memory, and the queues that are created are known as Ready Queues.
  • Access to Shared Resources: In a networked system, multiple workstations or machines simultaneously request a service from a single resource. The queries are created extremely quickly, in fractions of a second. Even so, there will always be some time zone differences in the requests that are sent. A queue is implemented in the server's device to keep this state.
  • Multilevel Queue Scheduling: In this method, various queues are created and assigned to different jobs. The priority that each process is given determines how quickly the system will carry out that operation. One drawback of this technique is that processes with lower priority may be overridden by processes with higher priority.
  • Routers and mail queues are examples of queue applications in computer networks.
  • Applications for queues exist in the area of managing website traffic as well.

Applications of Graphs

Graphs are strong data structures that depict actual connections between items. They are applied to a range of real-world issues because of their capacity to provide abstractions to reality. Graphs are strong data structures that depict actual connections between items. Graphs are employed everywhere, including blockchains and neural networks as well as social networks, Google maps, and the internet. They are applied to a range of real-world issues because of their capacity to provide abstractions to reality.

Some of the most common uses of Graphs are as follows:

  • Graphs are used to specify the computation's flow.
  • The representation of communication networks is done using graphs.
  • Graphs are used to show how data is organized.
  • Systems for transforming graphs operate by manipulating them in memory according to rules. The persistent, transaction-safe storing and querying of graph-structured data is made possible by graph databases.
  • The shortest path between two nodes is determined using graph theory in Google Maps, where various locations are represented as vertices or nodes, and the highways are represented as edges.
  • Graphs are used in computer science to depict the progression of computing.
  • The intersection of two or more roads is referred to as a vertex in a graph used by Google Maps to build transportation systems, and the road that connects two vertices is referred to as an edge. As a result, their navigation system is based on an algorithm that determines the shortest path between two vertices.
  • Users on Facebook are referred to as vertices, and if two users are friends, an edge connects them. Graph theory is used in Facebook's friend suggestion algorithm. Graphs that suggest shared friends. It displays a list of the contacts, friends, and following pages.
  • Web pages are referred to as the World Wide Web's vertices. If page v is linked to page u, then there is an edge from page u to page v. This is a directed graph example. The Google Page Ranking Algorithm's fundamental premise was that.
  • We encounter the Resource Allocation Graph in Operating Systems, where each process and resource is regarded as vertices. Edges are drawn between resources and processes that are assigned them, or between processes that request resources and those that get them. A deadlock will develop if this results in the creation of any cycle.
  • In the mapping system, a graph is used. Discovering the best spot from both the location and your immediate vicinity is helpful. Graphs are also used in GPS.
  • Directed acyclic graphs, or DAGs, are utilized by Microsoft Excel.
  • We use a network in the Dijkstra algorithm. We identify the shortest route connecting two or more nodes.
  • Graphs are used to track user data on social media platforms. appreciated displaying favorite post recommendations, suggestions, etc.

Conclusion

  • The foundation of programming is data structures. For both simple and complicated computations, they are utilized in various areas of computer science. The cornerstone of developing effective code is having a solid understanding of application of data structures.
  • Arrays are used to apply matrices and vectors from mathematics, make a set or collection in programming. Also used to implement heaps, queues, stacks, and other types of data structures.
  • Linked lists are used to work with polynomials, display sparse matrices, etc. Navigation systems can also take advantage of doubly-linked lists.
  • BSTs quickly look for a particular element within a set. Heap sorting is done by a particular kind of tree called a Heap. To store routing information, routers employ tries, a modified version of trees. Using a syntax tree, the compiler parses the program you write. Using trees and the quickest route possible, trees are used by routers and bridges.
  • Stacks are used for assessing expressions, conversion of phrases, context-free language parsing, removal of recursion, and traversal of trees and graphs.
  • Queues are used for control resource sharing, including CPU and disc scheduling. They are also used when data is transmitted between two processes, although not always at the same rate.
  • Graphs are used for transportation networks similar to the one Google Map uses. The molecular structure is represented using graphs. Graphs can also be used to find the shortest route. The airline industry and social media also use graphs.
  • Application of data structures are a very broad field that includes much more than just stacks, queues, and linked lists. There are numerous additional data structures, such as Maps, Hash Tables, Graphs, Trees, and so forth. Each data structure has its benefits and drawbacks, and they must be used by the application's requirements.

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