Linked List is a sequence of data structures, each of which stores a single element, such as a number, string, or file. It is called a linked list because each element is linked to the next element, forming a chain. This allows for efficient access of data, as each element can be accessed directly from the beginning of the list.
The first element in a linked list is known as the head of the list and the last element is known as the tail. Each element of the list contains a pointer which points to the element next to it, thus forming the link between elements. Linked lists can be further categorized as either singly-linked or doubly-linked. The difference between the two is that a singly-linked list contains a pointer that points only to the next element in the list, while a doubly-linked list contains a pointer that points to both the next and the previous element in the list.
Linked lists are often used in computer science when a list of items such as elements from an array needs to be easily accessed. Linked lists also save memory as only the needed elements are stored in memory, rather than the entire list. In addition to storage, linked lists have time complexity advantages over other data structures when inserting or deleting in the middle of the list.
Linked lists can also be used as the basis for other data structures such as stacks, queues, and trees. These structures use the same basic principles as linked lists, but are implemented differently and serve different purposes.
Linked lists are also used in a variety of applications outside of computer science, such as transportation routing and scheduling. As linked lists provide an efficient and flexible way to organize data, they are widely used in many areas of computing.
