Algorithm Design and Data Structure Techniques

 Good evening everyone, 

My apologies for the lack of content recently, work had doubled this year as everyone is working from home now (thanks Covid), school load, as well as spending as much time with my wife and young son as possible!!

I'll start this post with a few definitions on the topic so we are all starting off on the right foot!

An Algorithm is "a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem-solving operations, especially by a computer, used yo accomplish a certain task or request" (Algorithm 2021).  Data Structure is "a way to store and organize data so that it can be used efficiently" (Data structures: Ds tutorial - javatpoint), typically being used in arrays or graphs.  

Now that we are all caught up, now onto the main topic!  The data structure is not an form of programming languages, instead, it is "a set of algorithms that we can use in any programming language to structure the data in the memory" (Data structures: Ds tutorial - javatpoint).  

There are 2 types of data structures - Primitive Data Structures and Non-Primitive Data Structures - 

Primitive data structures consist of "int", "float", "point" and more, and they can only hold a single value, as seen in the picture below for 'int'.

Non-primitive data structures come in 2 varieties; Linear and Non-linear data structures.

For this post I will relay my current class experience that I found most entertaining and go into Linear data structures.  The assignment that taught me the most about linear data was a simple searching program which followed a list attempting to find a number or produce errors if no number was found.

There are many design techniques to chose from regarding data structure and algorithms, and it is important to look at all the variables to determine which is best in your current work or learning situation.  Having said that, it is also important to have a stable of working knowledge for any future problems that may arise!

Always keep an open mind and look for ways to improve your abilities daily, and you may pick a thing-or-two up, and if I can learn this stuff, there is hope for us all!

Have a wonderful day and thank you for visiting!

References: 

Data structures: Ds tutorial - javatpoint. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.javatpoint.com/data-structure-tutorial#:~:text=Data%20Structure%20is%20a%20way,%2C%20Sorting%2C%20Programs%2C%20etc.

Algorithms Design Techniques. (2020, September 30). Retrieved from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/algorithms-design-techniques/

Algorithm. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2021, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/algorithm