Analogy: Imagine a treasure hunt where each clue tells you where to find the next clue. You can’t just skip to the end; you must follow the clues in order. A linked list is a linear data structure where elements are not stored in contiguous memory locations. Instead, each element, called a node, contains two parts:
  1. Data: The actual value stored in the node.
  2. Next: A link, or call it a pointer to the next node in the sequence.
Unlike arrays, linked lists don’t store elements in contiguous memory locations. Instead, each node “points” to the next, forming a chain. The list starts with a head node, which is the first node. The last node in the list points to None, signifying the end of the list. Unlike an array, you can’t access an element in a linked list by its index (e.g., list[3]). To find an element, you must traverse the list from the head node, following the next pointers until you reach the desired node. Think of a slideshow where each slide has a “Next” button to go to the following slide. You can only move one step at a time, from the current slide to the next. This is very similar to a linked list:
  • Each slide is like a node.
  • The “Next” button acts like a pointer (slide-id) to the next node.
  • The first slide is the head of the list.
  • The last slide doesn’t link to any other, tail or null .
  • If there’s a “Previous” button, it’s like a doubly linked list.
Linkedlist2 Pn

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Use Cases

  1. Implementing other data structures: Linked lists are the building blocks for more complex data structures like stacks, queues, and hash maps.
  2. Dynamic memory allocation: They are efficient for scenarios where you don’t know the size of the data in advance, as they can grow or shrink dynamically.
  3. Managing a playlist: A music playlist is a great example. You can easily add a new song to the end or remove a song from the middle without shifting the entire list of songs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linked_list