csci 210: Data Structures
Stacks and Queues
Summary
Topics
Stacks and Queues as abstract data types ( ADT )
Implementations
arrays
linked lists
Analysis and comparison
Applications: searching with stacks and queues
In-class problem: missionary and cannibals
In-class problem: finding way out of a maze
Searching a solution space: Depth-first and breadth-first search (DFS, BFS)
Stacks and Queues
Fundamental abstract data types
we think of them conceptually in terms of their interface and functionality
we use them as building blocks in problems without pinning down an
implementation (the implementation may vary)
Interface:
Stacks and Queues handle a collection of elements
Operations:
In what order?
insert(e)
remove()
isEmpty()
getSize()
Stacks
Queues
only last element can be deleted
only first element can be deleted
==>insert and delete at one end
==>insert at one end, delete at other
last-in-first-out (LIFO)
first-in-first-out (FIFO) 3
Stack analogy
Stack interface
push(e) : insert element e (at top of stack)
pop() :
delete and return the top of stack (last inserted element)
size():
return the number of elements in the queue
isEmpty(): return true if queue is empty
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Queue Analogy
Queue interface
enqueue(e): insert element e (at end of queue)
dequeue(): delete and return the front of queue (the first inserted element)
size():
return the number of elements in the queue
isEmpty():
return true if queue is empty
Applications
Are stacks and queues useful?
YES. They come up all the time.
Stacks
Web browsers store the addresses of recently visited sites on a stack
Each time the visits a new site ==> pushed on the stack. Browsers allow to pop back to
previously visited site.
The undo-mechanism in an editor
The changes are kept in a stack. When the user presses undo the stack of changes is popped.
The function-call mechanism
the active (called but not completed) functions are kept on a stack
each time a function is called, a new frame describing its context is pushed onto the stack
the context of a method: its parameters, local variables, what needs to be returned, and
where to return (the instruction to be executed upon return)
when the function returns, its frame is popped, the context is reset to the previous method
(now on top of the stack) and teh program continues by executing the previously suspended
method
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Applications
Are stacks and queues useful?
YES. They come up all the time.
Queues
Queue of processes waiting to be processed
for e.g. the queue of processes to be scheduled on the CPU.
the process at front is dequeued and processed. New processes are added at the end of the
queue.
Round-robin scheduling: iterate through a set of processes in a circular manner
and ser vice each element:
the process at front is dequeued, allowed to run for some CPU cycles, and then enqueued at
the end of the queue
Using Stacks
[Link]
Using Stacks
import [Link];
//a stack of integers
Stack<Integer>
st = new Stack<Integer>();
[Link] (Integer(3)) ;
[Link] (Integer(5)) ;
[Link] (Integer(2));
//print the top
[Link]([Link]());
[Link]();
[Link]();
[Link]();
//a stack of Strings
Stack<String> st = new Stack<String>();
...
Using Stacks
import [Link];
//a stack of integers
Stack<Integer>
st = new Stack<Integer>();
[Link] (Integer(3)) ;
[Link] (Integer(5)) ;
[Link] (Integer(2));
//print the top
generic type
[Link]([Link]());
[Link]();
class Stack uses generics
[Link]();
[Link]();
//a stack of Strings
Stack<String> st = new Stack<String>();
...
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Stacks
a Stack can contain elements of arbitrary type E
Use generics: define Stack in terms of a generic element type E
Stack<E> {
}...
When instantiating Stack, specify E
Stack<String> st;
Note: could use Object, but then need to cast every pop()
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Implementing a Stack
A Stack interface
Implementing a Stack with arrays
Implementing a Stack with linked lists
Analysis, comparison
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/**
* Interface for a stack: a collection of objects that are inserted
* and removed according to the last-in first-out principle. This
* interface includes the main methods of [Link].
*/
public interface Stack<E> {
/**
* Return the number of elements in the stack.
* @return number of elements in the stack.
*/
public int size();
/**
* Return whether the stack is empty.
* @return true if the stack is empty, false otherwise.
*/
public boolean isEmpty();
/**
* Inspect the element at the top of the stack.
* @return top element in the stack.
* @exception EmptyStackException if the stack is empty.
*/
public E top()
throws EmptyStackException;
/**
* Insert an element at the top of the stack.
* @param element to be inserted.
*/
public void push (E element);
/**
* Remove the top element from the stack.
* @return element removed.
* @exception EmptyStackException if the stack is empty.
*/
public E pop()
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throws EmptyStackException;
}
Implementing a Stack
Stacks can be implemented efficiently with both
arrays
linked lists
Array implementation of a Stack
2
top of stack
Linked-list implementation of a Stack
a linked list provides fast inserts and deletes at head
==> keep top of stack at front
top of stack
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Implementing Stacks
Exercise: Sketch each implementation
public class StackWithArray<E> implements Stack {
....
}
Efficiency ?
Compare ?
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Stack: Arrays vs Linked-List Implementations
Array
simple and efficient
Method
Time
assume a fixed capacity for array
size()
O(1)
isEmpty()
O(1)
top
O(1)
push
O(1)
pop
O(1)
if CAP is too small, can reallocate, but expensive
if CAP is too large, space waste
Lists
no size limitation
extra space per element
Summary:
when know the max. number of element, use arrays
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Implementing a Queue
A Queue interface
Implementing a Queue with arrays
Implementing a Queue with linked lists
Analysis, comparison
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A Queue Interface
public interface Queue<E> {
/**
* Returns the number of elements in the queue.
* @return number of elements in the queue.
*/
public int size();
/**
* Returns whether the queue is empty.
* @return true if the queue is empty, false otherwise.
*/
public boolean isEmpty();
/**
* Inspects the element at the front of the queue.
* @return element at the front of the queue.
* @exception EmptyQueueException if the queue is empty.
*/
public E front() throws EmptyQueueException;
/**
* Inserts an element at the rear of the queue.
* @param element new element to be inserted.
*/
public void enqueue (E element);
/**
* Removes the element at the front of the queue.
* @return element removed.
* @exception EmptyQueueException if the queue is empty.
*/
public E dequeue() throws EmptyQueueException;
}
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Queue Implementations
Queue with arrays
say we insert at front and delete at end
need to shift elements on inserts ==> insert not O(1)
Queue with linked-list
in a singly linked-list can delete at front and insert at end in O(1)
front of list
Exercise: sketch implementations
Analysis?
tail of list
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Queue Implementations
Queue with arrays
need to shift elements on inserts ==> insert not O(1)
Queue with linked-list
front of list
Method
Time
size()
O(1)
isEmpty()
O(1)
front
O(1)
enqueue
O(1)
dequeue
O(1)
tail of list
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Queue with a Circular Array
A queue can be implemented efficiently with a circular array if we know the
maximum number of elements in the queue at any time
dequeue
enqueue
enqueue
14 15 16
dequeue
10 11 12 13
Exercise: sketch implementation
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