Data Structures
What is Data Structures?
Data Structures are different organizational formats for data in Computer Science. They are designed to efficiently store and access data, while being able to apply different functions or operations.
For example, think of a supermarket. The items are all sorted into different categories, so you know the area you need to go to to find the item you want. Additionally, different sales and discounts happen at different times in the store; this would be an example of an operation on the data (the items for sale).
What are some examples of Data Structures?
There are many common types of data structures, but some of the most important include Linked Lists, Hash Tables, Binary Search Trees, and AVL Trees. Each of these data structures has its own advantages and disadvantages, and is best suited for different types of problems.
Additionally, some common operations done on or with data structures include sorting, searching, and inserting/deleting elements.