Introduction to Linked Lists

A linked list is a linear data structure where elements are stored in nodes. Each node contains data and a reference (or link) to the next node in the sequence. Unlike arrays, linked lists do not store elements in contiguous memory locations, allowing for efficient insertion and deletion operations.

How Linked Lists Work

A linked list is composed of nodes. Each node contains:

• Data: The value stored in the node.
• Next Pointer: A reference to the next node in the list.

Here's a visual representation of a simple linked list:

[Head] -> [Node1] -> [Node2] -> [Node3] -> null

Types of Linked Lists

1. Singly Linked List: Each node points to the next node. The last node points to null.
2. Doubly Linked List: Each node points to both the next and the previous node. The first node's previous pointer and the last node's next pointer point to null.
3. Circular Linked List: Similar to a singly linked list, but the last node points back to the first node, forming a circle.
4. Circular Doubly Linked List: Combines the features of doubly linked lists and circular linked lists. Each node points to the next and previous nodes, and the list is circular.

Applications of Linked Lists in the Real World

Linked lists are widely used in various applications due to their dynamic nature. Here are some real-world applications:

Undo functionality in software applications:

• Each action is stored as a node in a linked list.
• Undoing moves back through the list, while redoing moves forward.

Music playlists:

• Each song is a node in a linked list.
• Easy to add or remove songs, and to move to the next or previous track.

Browser history:

• Each visited page is a node in a doubly linked list.
• Allows for easy forward and backward navigation.

Hash tables with chaining:

• Each bucket in the hash table contains a linked list to handle collisions.

Symbol tables in compilers:

• Compiler design often uses linked lists to implement symbol tables.

Graphs representation:

• Adjacency lists in graph data structures are implemented using linked lists.

Implementing Data Structures: Linked lists are used to implement other data structures like stacks, queues, and graphs.

Dynamic Memory Allocation: Linked lists manage memory dynamically, making them suitable for applications requiring frequent memory allocation and deallocation.

and many more.

This is the representation of SinglyLinkedList.

A linked list is composed of nodes. Each node contains:

• Data: The value stored in the node.
• Next Pointer: A reference to the next node in the list.