A linked list is a linear data structure where each element is a separate object called a "node." Each node contains a reference (or link) to the next node in the sequence. Linked lists are dynamic and can grow and shrink in size by allocating and deallocating memory as needed.
A linked list is a linear data structure which is a collection of multiple nodes. Each node contains two parts: a data part and a next part, which is a pointer that contains the address of the next node. Linked lists are dynamic and can grow and shrink in size by allocating and deallocating memory as needed.
- Singly Linked List: Each node contains a single link to the next node.
- Doubly Linked List: Each node contains links to both the next and previous nodes.
- Circular Linked List: The last node in the list points back to the first node, forming a circular structure.
Common operations performed on linked lists include:
- Insertion: Adding a new node at the beginning, end, or middle of the list.
- Deletion: Removing a node from the list.
- Traversal: Visiting each node in the list.
- Search: Finding a node with a specific value.
- Reverse a Linked List: Reverse the order of nodes in a linked list.
- Detect a Cycle: Check if the linked list contains a cycle (loop).