SINGLY LINKED LIST
The content you've shared provides a comprehensive explanation of the linked list data structure, particularly focusing on singly linked lists.
Here's a brief overview and key points:
Linked List Overview
- Definition: A linked list is a collection of nodes where each node contains data and a pointer to the next node in the sequence. The last node points to `null`, indicating the end of the list.
- Dynamic Memory Allocation: Nodes are not stored contiguously in memory, which allows for flexible memory usage and efficient insertion and deletion operations.
- Advantages Over Arrays: Unlike arrays, linked lists do not require a predetermined size and can grow or shrink dynamically as needed.
Singly Linked List
- Structure: Each node in a singly linked list consists of two parts: the data and a pointer to the next node.
- One-Way Traversal: Singly linked lists can only be traversed in one direction—from the head (first node) to the tail (last node).
Operations on Singly Linked Lists
1. Node Creation:
struct node {
int data;
struct node
*next;
};
struct node *head,
*ptr;
ptr = (struct node *)malloc(sizeof(struct node *));
2. Insertion:
- At the Beginning: The new node is inserted at the front of the list and becomes the new head.
- At the End: The new node is inserted after the current last node.
- After a Specified Node: The new node is inserted after a node at a specific position.
3. Deletion:
- From the Beginning: The head node is deleted, and the next node becomes the new head.
- From the End: The last node is deleted.
- After a Specified Node: The node after a specified position is deleted.
4. Traversal: Visiting each node in the list to perform
operations such as printing the data.
5. Searching: Searching for a node that contains a specific
value.
Example Program
The provided C program is a menu-driven application that
allows users to perform various operations on a singly linked list, such as
insertion, deletion, traversal, and searching.
Complexity Analysis
- Time Complexity:
- Access/Search: \( O(n) \)
- Insertion/Deletion: \( O(1) \) (at the beginning or end)
- Space Complexity: \( O(n) \)
This content serves as a solid introduction to linked lists,
particularly useful for understanding the basics of dynamic data structures and
their practical implementation in programming languages like C.
