Arrays Linked Lists Questions Medium
In terms of memory utilization, the main difference between a queue and a linked list lies in their underlying data structures and how they allocate memory.
A queue is a linear data structure that follows the First-In-First-Out (FIFO) principle. It can be implemented using either an array or a linked list. When implemented using an array, a fixed amount of memory is allocated to store the elements of the queue. This means that the memory utilization of a queue implemented with an array is fixed and does not change dynamically. If the queue becomes full, additional elements cannot be added unless the array is resized, which may require allocating a new block of memory and copying the existing elements.
On the other hand, a linked list is a dynamic data structure where each element (node) contains a reference to the next node in the list. Unlike an array-based queue, a linked list does not require a fixed amount of memory to store its elements. Nodes are dynamically allocated as needed, allowing for efficient memory utilization. When an element is added to a linked list, memory is allocated for a new node to hold the element, and the necessary references are updated. Similarly, when an element is removed, the memory occupied by the corresponding node can be freed, resulting in efficient memory management.
In summary, the memory utilization of a queue implemented with an array is fixed and may require resizing if the queue becomes full. In contrast, a linked list dynamically allocates memory for nodes as needed, resulting in more efficient memory utilization.