A Level Computer Science: Lists and Linked Lists
Do you want to save hours of lesson preparation time? Get your evenings and weekends back and focus your time where it's needed! Be fully prepared with presentations, notes, activities, and more.
All Computer Science topics are covered, and each module comes complete with:
Classroom Presentations
Revision Notes
Activities & Quizzes
Mind Maps, Flashcards & Glossaries
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between a list and a linked list?
The primary difference lies in how they store elements in memory. A list stores elements in a contiguous block of memory, making indexed access very quick. In a linked list, each element points to the next one in the sequence, making element insertion and deletion more efficient but random access slower.
How do you access elements in a list and a linked list?
In a list, you can access elements directly using an index. For example, in Python, you can use `myList[2]` to access the third element. In a linked list, you must start from the head node and traverse through the list until you reach the element you want, making access generally slower.
Can I use built-in functions for lists and linked lists in Python?
Python has built-in support for lists with a range of functions like append, remove, and sort. However, Python does not have built-in support for linked lists. You'll either need to implement one yourself or use a library that provides this data structure.
When should I choose a list over a linked list, or vice versa?
If you need quick random access to elements and your list size won't be changing frequently, a list/array is usually the better option. If you require frequent insertions and deletions and don't need to access elements by index often, a linked list may be more efficient.
What are the basic operations that can be performed on lists and linked lists?
For both lists and linked lists, you can perform operations like insertion, deletion, traversal, and searching. However, the time complexity for these operations can vary between the two data structures. For example, appending an element is generally faster in a linked list, whereas accessing an element by index is faster in a list.