Data Structure is the place to store data and information in memory of a computer. There are many common data structure already defined for programmers to use such as list, array, arraylist, tree, graph...Depending on the usages of data, the programmers choose what data structure can fit the best for their program. To help other people who is outside of computer science major, data structure is like a house or a building so you can live or put your stuffs in. You can have many rooms or kitchens you want and can be different from other's houses. But the same idea is you can live or store you stuff in your house. Moreover, your house also has the address to help other people identify where you live, so that they can reach you easily. In computer, data structure is stored in memory, we can find the data which are stored in the structure, we only need to look at the id of the structure.
this is an example of data structure
Also, depending on the types of program, the choice of data structure is very important. For example, some data structures can do a lot faster in sorting and slower in inserting or deleting data. Moreover, you can define your own data structure in your own way. But it takes a bit of time because you have to do all the functions to get access to your data structures.
I enjoyed reading your blog Tho. I think the comparison of data structures to homes with different rooms really helped people visualize your point. I also liked your picture. There were a couple areas where you could improve next time. Try to work on your grammar, I understood what you were trying to say but there were a few words which were used incorrectly. Also your information is accurate, but it is good for readers to understand exactly where that information comes from. Including your sources makes your post more legitimate and valid. I look forward to learning more from you in your future posts.
ReplyDeleteTho,
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure your analogy really holds water. The importance of data structures isn't just that they store data; it's their differences that make them useful for specific tasks. Maybe a better analogy would be book organization. Do you just keep all books in alphabetical order on one shelf? That's more like an array. Do you have a list mapping book titles to a shelf number? That's a little more like a hash table. Comparing it to a house makes it sound more like a data structure is just there to hold things, instead of helping you find and manipulate data.
(And I agree with the previous comment that you should probably list references -- I think we're graded on that, and you don't want to lose points)
Hi Tho,
ReplyDeleteYour analogy of data structures to homes is interesting, but I don't think it quite captures what data structures are and their significance. The idea about home address fits better with memory addressing in the computer's architecture, or maybe even a pointer. The addressing itself doesn't give data structures their organization and, in that, their usefulness. But, nonetheless, I agree that choosing the appropriate data structure for x task is important.
Hi Tho,
ReplyDeleteFrom reading your post and previous comments, I understand what you are trying to get at. I agree with the comments that the house analogy isn’t strong enough to relate with data structures. You mentioned about adding and deleting data, but what about data manipulation. There are many types of data structures, and they have their own unique way of storing data. I recommend you revise your post and add sources before the due date. I can’t wait to see your future posts, and good luck!
Hi Tho,
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I do agree with the last few comments about your house analogy. It does explain that data is stored in a memory location, however, it does not fully include the main purpose of data structures. You do seem to have knowledge of data structures though, since you explained that different data structures perform different tasks. With a little bit of editing and a different use of analogy, I think that you could have done an excellent job explaining more about data structures with your voice and writing style.
Hello Tho,
ReplyDeleteI like your analogy of data structure. It is fun and vivid for people outside of computer science. However, this analogy together with the image, from my point of view, is more for Object-Oriented Programming. For simple basic data structures, it may not holds.
Also, as previous comments have already mentioned, it is better to include references as links so the readers can get where you've concluded the materials from.
I agree with your point that programmers should be careful when handling data structures, taking into consideration both time efficiency and memory capacity.