Linked Lists

Student Question

What's the "linked list" in CS?

Sia Response

In Computer Science, a linked list is a linear data structure where each element is a separate object, commonly called a 'node'. Each node contains a reference (or link) to the next node in the sequence. This structure allows for efficient insertion and removal of elements from any position in the sequence during iteration.

Properties of a Linked List a. Dynamic Size: Unlike arrays, linked lists are dynamic and can grow or shrink in size.

b. Memory Utilization: Nodes are allocated memory only when required, which can lead to efficient memory usage.

c. Insertion and Deletion: Nodes can easily be added or removed without reorganizing the entire data structure.

d. No Random Access: Linked lists do not support direct access to elements by their position, which means that to access an element, you need to follow the links from the beginning.

e. Types: There are various types of linked lists such as singly linked lists, doubly linked lists, and circular linked lists, each with its own set of properties and use cases.

A singly linked list, for example, contains nodes where each node has data and a reference to the next node. Here is a simple representation of a node in a singly linked list in Python:

class Node:
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.data = data
        self.next = None

And here is how you might define a simple linked list with basic operations:

class LinkedList:
   def __init__(self):
       self.head = None

   def append(self, data):
       if not self.head:
           self.head = Node(data)
       else:
           current = self.head
           while current.next:
               current = current.next
           current.next = Node(data)

   def display(self):
       elements = []
       current = self.head
       while current:
           elements.append(current.data)
           current = current.next
       return elements

To use this linked list, you would create an instance of the LinkedList class and use its methods to append data and display the list.

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