Queues

Ref.: D.S. Malik, Data Structures Using C++

Queues
add adding an item to the back of a queue delete removing an item from the front of a queue

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

e.g. First create an array; the queue is empty add A to the queue:
[0] [1] [2] A [99]

queueFront = 0 queueRear = 0

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

adding B followed by C gives:

[0] [1] [2] A B C

[99]

queueFront = 0 queueRear = 2

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

deleting an element gives:

[0] [1] [2] A B C

[99]

queueFront = 1 queueRear = 2

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

Student exercise: Start from an empty queue. What does the queue look like after: add A, add B, add C delete, add D, delete, add E delete, add F, delete, add G delete, add H, delete, add I delete, add J

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

Answer:

[0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] A B C D E F G H I J

[99]

queueFront = 7 queueRear = 9

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

If we keep deleting and adding like this then we will eventually reach the end of the array:
[0] [1] [2] A B C [97] [98] [99] x x x

queueFront = 97 queueRear = 99 We need to program the queue so that it can continue to operate.

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

Conceptually, we could think of it as a circular queue.

[99]

[0]

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

e.g.
[0] [1] [2] [97] [98] [99] X Y

queueFront = 98

queueRear = 99

Student exercise: Add Z. Redraw the queue and give the values of the variables.

Implementation of Queues as Arrays

Answer:
[0] [1] [2] Z [97] [98] [99] X Y

queueFront = 98

queueRear = 0