Introduction of data structure

What is data structure? 

A data structure is a method for organizing and storing data within a computer system to enable efficient access and manipulation.

It defines the relationships between the data elements and the operations that can be performed on them.

Examples include arrays, linked lists, trees, and graphs.

A real-life example of a data structure is a

library's catalog system. 

Just like how data is organized in a computer, books in a library are structured in a certain way for efficient retrieval.

 The catalog system could use various data structures like arrays (for organizing books by their ISBN numbers), linked lists (for managing book checkout queues), or trees (for categorizing books by genre or author).

Data types : primitive data types and non primitive data types

In data structures, data types can be categorized as primitive and non-primitive (composite) data types. Here's an overview of each:

1. Primitive Data Types:

Integers:Represent whole numbers without fractional parts. Examples include integers (int), long integers (long), and short integers (short).

Floating-point Numbers: Represent numbers with fractional parts. Examples include single-precision floating-point numbers (float) and double-precision floating-point numbers (double).

Characters: Represent individual characters or symbols. Examples include characters (char) and wide characters (wchar_t).

Booleans: A boolean data type represents a logical value that can be either true or false. It's typically used in programming to control the flow of logic, make decisions, or evaluate conditions. 

   

Primitive data types are typically predefined by programming languages and have fixed sizes and representations in memory.

2. Non-primitive Data Types:

Arrays: An array is a data structure that stores a collection of elements, typically of the same data type, arranged in contiguous memory locations.

Structures: A structure is like a container that holds different types of information together under one name. Imagine it as a box with compartments, where each compartment stores a specific piece of information. These compartments can hold numbers, words, or other types of data. Structures help organize related data in a program, making it easier to manage and work with complex information.

Classes: In object-oriented programming languages, classes are templates for creating objects. They encapsulate data (attributes) and operations (methods) into a single unit.

Pointers: Variables that store memory addresses. Pointers allow indirect access to memory locations and are commonly used for dynamic memory allocation and implementing data structures like linked lists, trees, and graphs.

Strings: Sequences of characters represented as arrays or objects. In some languages, strings are treated as primitive data types, while in others, they are implemented as non-primitive data types.

Non-primitive data types are more flexible and versatile than primitive data types because they can represent complex structures and relationships between data elements. 

They often require dynamic memory allocation and management and are essential for building more sophisticated data structures and implementing advanced algorithms.