Applications of Stack
Applications of the stack are enormous and cover a wide range of domains. In the fields of computer science and software engineering, the stack data structure is extremely useful in a variety of different contexts. Algorithms such as Depth First Search and Breadth First Search use stack to traverse the graph. The following are some examples:
Applications of the stack
Memory Management: Stacks are utilised in programming languages as a means of performing memory management in an effective manner. For example, the call stack is responsible for keeping a record of all function calls and returns, as well as for allocating and deallocating memory for each function call.
Expression Evaluation: Stacks are the primary data structure utilised by programming languages for evaluating expressions. When using postfix notation, the operands are placed on top of the stack, and the operators are executed once they are reached.
History of the Browser: The back button seen in web browsers utilises a stack to preserve a record of the sites that have been visited in the past. Each new page is placed on the top of the stack, and the most recent page is removed from the stack if the user clicks the back button on their browser.
Undo Redo in Editors: Stacks are a frequently utilised data structure in software systems, and one of their primary functions is to implement the undo and redo functions. Each action is added to the stack, and the user can undo any of their prior actions by removing things from the stack in the order in which they were added.
Parsing: The usage of stacks in parsing algorithms helps to ensure that the operations are performed in the appropriate order. For instance, the shunting yard technique employs the utilisation of two stacks in order to convert infix notation into postfix notation.
Solving maze problems: Finding Your Way Out of a Maze You can find your way out of a maze by using stacks, which store the path you took through the maze. When one reaches a situation where there is no more way forward, the previous action can be undone by busting the stack and attempting to take an alternative route.
Text Editors: Stacks are utilised in the implementation of text editing capabilities such as undo/redo, copy/paste, and indentation in text editors. For example, one use of the indentation stack is to monitor the level of an indentation that has been applied to a portion of code.
Recursive functions: When a function is called recursively on a computer, the stack is used to keep track of each individual function call made by the computer. As a function is finished being executed, its contents are “popped” off the stack, and each new call is “pushed” onto the stack.
These are only some of the many real-world uses of the stack data structure that can be found in the fields of computer science and software engineering.
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