What is the time complexity of enqueue and dequeue operations in a queue impleme
Practice Questions
Q1
What is the time complexity of enqueue and dequeue operations in a queue implemented using a linked list?
O(1)
O(n)
O(log n)
O(n log n)
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
What is the time complexity of enqueue and dequeue operations in a queue implemented using a linked list?
Step 1: Understand what a queue is. A queue is a data structure that follows the First In First Out (FIFO) principle, meaning the first element added is the first one to be removed.
Step 2: Know the two main operations of a queue: enqueue (adding an element) and dequeue (removing an element).
Step 3: Learn about linked lists. A linked list is a data structure where each element (node) points to the next one, allowing for dynamic memory allocation.
Step 4: In a linked list implementation of a queue, you typically maintain two pointers: one for the front of the queue (where elements are removed) and one for the back of the queue (where elements are added).
Step 5: When you perform an enqueue operation, you add a new node at the back of the queue. This operation takes constant time O(1) because you can directly access the back pointer and add the new node.
Step 6: When you perform a dequeue operation, you remove the node from the front of the queue. This also takes constant time O(1) because you can directly access the front pointer and remove the node.
Step 7: Since both operations (enqueue and dequeue) take constant time, we say their time complexity is O(1).
