Chapter Introduction
Who Should Read This Chapter
This chapter is recommended for readers who wish to systematically master data structures and algorithms.
For those looking to quickly enhance their problem-solving skills for written tests, a complete study of this chapter is not necessary. Please refer to the Quick Start Guide.
Chapter Overview
The best way to learn something is to implement it yourself. This chapter will not focus on algorithm problems but will guide readers through all common data structures and encourage hands-on implementation.
Understanding the underlying principles of these common data structures will enable you to accurately utilize each data structure’s features and comprehend the time complexity of your code when tackling algorithm problems in later chapters.
Hint
The focus of this chapter is to help readers understand the implementation principles, advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of each data structure. The Java/C++/Golang/Python/JavaScript implementations provided ensure correctness and readability.
Extreme optimization and best practices at the programming language level are beyond the scope of this site’s teaching. If you seek a deeper understanding, you may refer to the standard libraries of the respective programming languages.
Of course, there might be minor errors in the multi-language code I provide. Feedback is welcome as we strive for collective improvement!
Throughout this chapter, the Algorithm Visualization Panel will be frequently used to visualize operations for slightly complex data structures. The visualization code is written in JavaScript but is simple enough for you to understand, regardless of your familiarity with JavaScript.