Data Structures - CSCI 102

CS102
C++ Stacks & Queues
Prof Tejada

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stacks/Queues
Templated lists are good for storing generic sequences of
items, but they can be specialized to form other useful
structures

What if we had a List, but we restricted how insertion and

removal were done?
Stack: only ever insert/remove from the front of the list
Queue: only ever insert at the back and remove from the
front of the list

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stacks
Stack: a list of items where insertion and removal only
occurs at one end of the list
Examples
A spring-loaded plate dispenser at a buffet
A stack of boxes where you have to move the top one
to get to ones farther down
A PEZ dispenser

Stacks are LIFO (Last In, First Out)

Items at the top of the stack are the newest
Items at the bottom of the stack are the oldest

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Stack ADT

What member data does a Stack need?
A list of items
A length
A maximum size (optional)

What member functions does a Stack have?

push(item) - Add an item to the top of the Stack
pop() - Remove the top item from the Stack
top() - Get a reference to the top item on the Stack (dont
remove it though!)
size() - Get the number of items in the Stack
empty() - Check if the Stack is empty

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Stack ADT

Push Pop

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Declaration
What does the interface for a Stack look like?

template <typename T>

class Stack
{
public:
Stack();
~Stack();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value);
void pop();
T& top();
bool empty() const;
};

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Declaration
How would you build a Linked List-based Stack?

template <typename T>

class Stack
{
private:
Node<T>* head;
int length;
public:
Stack();
~Stack();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value);
void pop();
T& top();
bool empty() const;
};
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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Declaration
How would you build a Linked List-based Stack?
You could also back the Stack with a vector
template <typename T>
class Stack
{
private:
T* date; //could also be vector<T>
int length;
public:
Stack();
~Stack();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value);
void pop();
T& top();
bool empty() const;
};
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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Examples
Reversing the letters in a string

int main() {
Stack<char> s;

string word;
cout << "Enter a word: ";
getline(cin,word);

for(int i=0; i < word.size(); i++) {

s.push(word.at(i));
}
while(!s.empty()) {
cout << s.top();
s.pop();
}
}
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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Examples

How would you check that this string has equal numbers of
opening/closing parentheses?

((((3*4 + 1) 5) + 6 * (2-3) + 4 (1/5)) + 1 ) + 2

If you see a "(", use a push

If you see a ")", use a pop


At the end of the string, your stack should be completely
empty!












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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stack Examples

The call stack isused to keep track of function calls in C++


What happens when your code calls a function?


What happens when you return from a function?


How does your code keep track of which line it should
return to when a function ends?

void A(int x,int y) void B(int x) void C()

{ { {
int m=0; int n=0; int p=0;
B(x); C(); cout << p;
} } }

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Call Stack

What happens when a function is called?
The address of the next line of code is pushed onto the
stack (one line past the function call)
A placeholder is put on the stack for the functions
return type
Execution jumps to the functions code
All arguments to the function go on the stack
The function begins executing
All local variables to the function are pushed onto the
call stack

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Call Stack
void C()
{ stack
int p=0; C()
cout << p; p 0
}
calls
B() x ?
void B(int x) n 0
{
int n=0; calls
x ?
C(); A() y ?
} m 0
calls

void A(int x,int y) ...

{ calls
int m=0; main() argc 0
B(x); argv ? ? ? ?
}




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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Call Stack

What happens when a function returns?
The return value is copied back into the placeholder that
we made for it
All local arguments and variables are popped off of the
stack
This is why we call them stack variables
The return value is popped off the stack and assigned to
a variable (if need be)
The address of the next line of code is popped off the
stack and executed

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Inception is a perfect example of how the call stack works

Dreams = Functions
Dreaming = Calling a function
Waking up = Returning from a function
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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Other Stack Details

How should you implement a Stack?
Back it with an array
Back it with a vector
Back it with a linked list
Inherit from linked list
Which is best?

Stack Error Conditions

Stack Underflow: the name for the condition where you
call pop on an empty Stack
Stack Overflow: the name for the condition where you
call push on a full Stack (a stack that cant grow any
more)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Queues
Queue: a list of items where insertion only occurs at the
back of the list and removal only occurs at the front of the
list
Like waiting in line for a cashier at a store

Queues are FIFO (First In, First Out)

Items at the back of the queue are the newest
Items at the front of the queue are the oldest
Elements are processed in the order they arrive

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Queue ADT

What member data does a Queue have?
A list of items
A length
A maximum size (optional)

What member functions does a Queue have?

push(item): add an item to the back of the Queue
pop(): remove the front item from the Queue
front()/back(): get a reference to the front or back
item of the Queue (dont remove it though!)
size(): get the number of items in the Queue
empty(): check if the Queue is empty

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Queue ADT

Push
(Enqueue)

Pop
(Dequeue)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Queue Declaration
What does the interface for a Queue look like?

template <typename T>

class Queue
{
public:
Queue();
~Queue();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value); //enqueue
void pop(); //dequeue
T& front();
T& back();
bool empty() const;
};

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Queue Declaration

What does a Linked List-based Queue look like?



template <typename T>
class Queue
{
private:
Node<T> *head, *tail;
int length;
public:
Queue();
~Queue();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value); //enqueue
void pop(); //dequeue
T& front();
T& back();
bool empty() const;
}; 22
Copyright William C. Cheng
 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Queue Declaration

What does an array-based Queue look like?
You could also back the Queue with a vector
template <typename T>
class Queue
{
private:
T* data; //could also be vector<T>
int length;
public:
Queue();
~Queue();
int size() const;
void push(const T& value); //enqueue
void pop(); //dequeue
T& front();
T& back();
bool empty() const;

}; 23
Copyright William C. Cheng
 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Queue Examples
How does a printer work?
Multiple print jobs are sent in
Click "Print" on the computer is much faster than
actually printing (build a backlog)
Each job is processed in the order its received (FIFO)
Why wouldnt you use a "Print Stack" instead of a
"Print Queue"?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Other Queue Examples

Computer processor serving threads

Serving customers at a restaurant (in the order they were

seated)

Valets parking cars at a busy restaurant (park them in the

order they arrived)

Anything that involves elements "waiting in line"

How do you organize your closet?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Other Queue Details

How should you implement a Queue?
Back it with an array
Back it with a vector
Back it with a linked list
Inherit from a linked list
Which is best?

Queue Error Conditions

Queue Underflow: the name for the condition where you
call pop on an empty Queue
Queue Overflow: the name for the condition where you
call push on a full Queue (a Queue that cant grow any
more)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Deques
Deque: a combination of a Stack and a Queue where you
can insert or remove at either end of the list (but not the
middle)
Like books on a bookshelf

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

The Deque ADT

Push Front Push Back

Pop Front Pop Back

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Implement Stack Using Deque

Push Front Push Back

Pop Front Pop Back

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Implement Queue Using Deque

Push Front Push Back

Pop Front Pop Back

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Copyright William C. Cheng
 Data Structures - CSCI 102

CS102
Searching

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Search
One of the best ways to understand Big O is by example

If you were given a list of items and you wanted to see if an

item is in that list, how would you do it?
How did you write your contains() function on your
Linked List class?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear (a.k.a. Sequential) Search

Start at the beginning (or end) of the list

Compare search value with every element in the list one at

a time
If you find what youre looking for, return true
If you look through all the items and dont find it, return
false

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
int linearSearch(const vector<int>& list,
const int& value) {
for(int i=0;
i < list.size();
i++) {
if (list[i] == value) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}

What is the Big O?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
What is the best case scenario?

What is the worst case scenario?

What is the average scenario?

Assuming value in the list?

Assuming all possible inputs?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
What is the best case scenario?
Search item is first in list = O(1)

What is the worst case scenario?

Search item not in list = O(N)
What is the average scenario?
Assuming value in the list?
Look through half the list = O(N/2) = O(N)
Assuming all possible inputs?
Hard to say. Probably O(N)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
What data types does this work for?
Arrays
Vectors
Linked Lists

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
Search is a very recursive problem. How would we write a
recursive linear search?

Whats the algorithm?

What are the base cases?

Whats the recursive case?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Linear Search
int recursiveSearch(const vector<int>& list,
const int& value) {
recSearchHelper(list, value, 0);
}

int recSearchHelper(const vector<int>& list,

const int& value),
const int index) {
if (index >= list.size()) {
return false;
} else if (list[i] == value) {
return true;
}
return recSearchHelper(list, value, index+1);
}

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Search
If we know nothing else about the data in the list were
searching, is there a better way?

What about if we could make assumptions about the data?

What assumptions would be helpful?
By the way, the word "assumption" means that this is
what we assume about the data
If the data/input violates the assumption, it can
break our algorithm
Sometimes, we should check if our assumption is
correct before we proceed (of course, this is not
free)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search
Assumption: List elements are sorted in ascending order

Compare search value to the median and see if the search

item is ==, < or >

If search item is equal, return true

Otherwise, cut the list in half and repeat by finding the
median value in the valid half of the list

Return false if the value is not found

Ex: Looking up a word in a dictionary

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search

int binarySearch(const vector<int>& list,
const int& value) {
int first=0, last=list.size()-1;
while (first <= last) {
int mid=(first+last)/2;
if (list[mid] == value) {
return true;
} else if (list[mid] > value) {
last = mid-1;
} else {
first = mid+1;
} first mid last
}
return false;
}






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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search
What is the best case scenario?

What is the worst case scenario?

What is the average scenario?

Assuming value in the list?

Assuming all possible inputs?

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search
What is the best case scenario?
log n n
Value is in the middle of the list = O(1)
1 2

What is the worst case scenario? 2 4
3 8
Value is not in the list = O(log(N)) 4 16
a
5 32
if a = log2 n, then 2 = xn 6 64
therefore, x = log2 2 7 128
as n grows geometrically/exponentially,
8 256
log2 n grows linearly 9 512
the base of logarithm is usually omitted 10 1024
11 2048
logb n = logx n / logx b for any base x 12 4096
logb n = log2 n / log2 b = c log2 n

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search
What is the best case scenario?
Value is in the middle of the list = O(1)
What is the worst case scenario?
Value is not in the list = O(log(N))

What is the average scenario?

Assuming value in the list?
O(2*log(N)-3) = O(log(N))
Assuming all possible inputs?
O(2*log(N)) = O(log(N))

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search
What data types does this work for?
Arrays
Vectors
Linked Lists (will not work)

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Binary Search vs. Linear Search

Search Function Growth

Linear Search
O(N)

T(N)
Binary Search
O(log(N))

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 Data Structures - CSCI 102

Stuff to Read
Stack Overflow Question: "Plain English explanation of Big O"
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/487258/plain-english-
explanation-of-big-o
Check out the accepted answer

Slightly longer version:

http://www.cforcoding.com/2009/07/plain-english-
explanation-of-big-o.html

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Copyright William C. Cheng