Which of the following is a common application of stacks in numerical computatio
Practice Questions
Q1
Which of the following is a common application of stacks in numerical computations?
Evaluating postfix expressions
Finding the shortest path in a graph
Sorting an array
Searching for an element in a list
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which of the following is a common application of stacks in numerical computations?
Step 1: Understand what a stack is. A stack is a data structure that follows the Last In, First Out (LIFO) principle, meaning the last item added is the first one to be removed.
Step 2: Learn about postfix expressions. A postfix expression is a mathematical notation where operators follow their operands. For example, '3 4 +' means '3 + 4'.
Step 3: Recognize the need for evaluating postfix expressions. When you want to calculate the result of a postfix expression, you need a way to keep track of the numbers and apply the operators in the correct order.
Step 4: See how stacks help. You can use a stack to hold numbers. When you encounter a number, you push it onto the stack. When you encounter an operator, you pop the required numbers off the stack, perform the operation, and push the result back onto the stack.
Step 5: Conclude that stacks are commonly used in this way because they efficiently manage the order of operations in postfix expressions.
