What is a Queue?
Explore the concept of queues, a fundamental linear data structure that follows the FIFO method. Understand how queues work, their key operations like enqueue and dequeue, and the common types including linear, circular, and priority queues. Learn practical uses of queues in algorithms, operating systems, and networking to prepare for coding interviews.
We'll cover the following...
Introduction #
Similar to the Stack, a Queue is another linear data structure that stores the elements in a sequential manner.
The only significant difference between Stack and Queue is that instead of using the LIFO principle, Queue implements the FIFO method, which is short for First in First Out.
According to FIFO, the first element inserted is the one that comes out first. You can think of a queue as a pipe with both ends open. Elements enter from one end (back) and leave from the other (front).
The following animation illustrates the structure of a queue.
Queues are slightly trickier to implement than stacks because we have to keep track of both ends of the array. The elements are ...