9. Arrays and lists
The chapter discusses the fundamental differences between arrays and lists as data structures, focusing on their memory allocation, access times, insertion and deletion complexities. Arrays allow for constant time access but incur linear time costs for insertions and deletions, while lists offer linear time access but constant time for insertion and deletion operations. This distinction significantly impacts the design and implementation of algorithms that operate on these structures.
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What we have learnt
- Arrays are fixed in size and allow constant time access to elements.
- Lists are flexible in size but require linear time to access elements directly.
- Understanding the differences between arrays and lists is crucial for algorithm design.
Key Concepts
- -- Array
- A contiguous block of memory storing elements that can be accessed in constant time.
- -- List
- A flexible structure where elements are linked, requiring linear time for direct access.
- -- Insertion/Deletion Complexity
- The time required to insert or delete elements in an array or list depends on the structure; arrays may require shifting elements, whereas lists can change links in constant time if the location is known.
- -- Constant Time
- An operation that takes the same amount of time regardless of the input size, signifying O(1) complexity.
- -- Linear Time
- An operation whose time grows linearly with the size of the input, denoted as O(n) complexity.
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