Data Structure-Stack
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee
University of Engineering & Management, Kolkata
Stack-Introduction
• Stack is an ordered list in which, insertion and
deletion can be performed only at one end
that is called top.
• Stack is a recursive data structure having
pointer to its top element.
• Stacks are sometimes called as Last-In-First-
Out (LIFO) lists i.e. the element which is
inserted first in the stack, will be deleted last
from the stack.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack-Introduction
• Stacks can be implemented using either arrays or
linked lists
• There are three operations which can be
performed on stack:
– Push: Adding an element onto the stack (on the top)
– POP: Removing an element from the stack (from the
top)
– Peek: Returns the value of the topmost element of
the stack without removing it from the stack
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack-Pictorial Representation
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack-Why in Computer Science
• During Function Call
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Array Representation of Stack
• Stack can be represented as a linear array
• Every stack has a variable called TOP associated with
it, which is used to store the address of the topmost
element of the stack
• Element will be added to or deleted from TOP
• Variable MAX is used to store the maximum number
of elements that the stack can hold
• TOP=NULL indicates stack is empty
• TOP=MAX-1 indicates stack is full
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-Push
• PUSH operation
– Used to insert an element into the stack
– The new element is added at the topmost position
of the stack
– Before inserting the value, first check if TOP=MAX–1,
indicating stack OVERFLOW (stack is full)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-Push Contd…
• Algorithm/Steps for PUSH operation (using Array)
Step 1: IF TOP = MAX-1
PRINT OVERFLOW
[END OF IF]
Step 2: SET TOP = TOP + 1
Step 3: SET STACK[TOP] = VALUE
Step 4: END
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-POP
• POP operation
– Used to delete the topmost element from the
stack
– Before deleting the value, first check if TOP=NULL,
indicating stack UNDERFLOW (stack is empty)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-POP Contd…
• Algorithm/Steps for POP operation (using Array)
Step 1: IF TOP = NULL
PRINT UNDERFLOW
GO TO Step 4
[END OF IF]
Step 2: SET VAL = STACK[TOP]
Step 3: SET TOP = TOP - 1
Step 4: END
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-Peep
• Peep operation
– Used to return the value of the topmost element
of the stack without deleting it from the stack
– Before returning the value, first check if TOP=NULL,
indicating stack is empty
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Stack-Peep Contd…
• Algorithm/Steps for Peep operation (using Array)
Step 1: IF TOP = NULL
PRINT “STACK IS EMPTY”
GO TO STEP 3
[END OF IF]
Step 2: RETURN STACK[TOP]
Step 3: END
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack using Array: Assignments
Assignments:
1. Write a program to insert an element into the
stack using an array (Push Operation).
2. Write a program to delete an element from the
stack using an array (Pop Operation).
3. Write a program to return the value of the
topmost element of the stack (without deleting it
from the stack) using an array (Peep operation).
4. Write a program to display the elements of a
stack using an array.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack using Array: Limitations
• Array must be declared to have some fixed size
• If stack is very small one or its maximum size is
known in advance, then the array implementation of
the stack gives an efficient implementation
• It is difficult to implement stack using array if the
array size can’t be determined in advance
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack using Linked List
• Stack can be represented using linked list
• Every node has two parts—one that stores data and
another that stores the address of the next node
• The START pointer of the linked list is used as TOP
• All insertions and deletions are done at the node
pointed by TOP
• TOP=NULL indicates stack is empty
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Linked Stack-Push
• PUSH operation
– Used to insert an element into the stack
– The new element is added at the topmost position
of the stack
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Linked Stack-Push
Contd…
• Algorithm/Steps for PUSH operation (using Linked List)
Step 1: Allocate memory for new node , name it as NEW_NODE
Step 2: SET NEW_NODE ->DATA = VAL
Step 3: IF TOP = NULL
SET NEW_NODE->NEXT=NULL
SET TOP=NEW_NODE
ELSE
SET NEW_NODE->NEXT=TOP
SET TOP=NEW_NODE
[END OF IF]
Step 4: Stop
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Linked Stack-POP
• POP operation
– Used to delete the topmost element from the
stack
– Before deleting the value, first check if TOP=NULL,
indicating stack UNDERFLOW (stack is empty)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Operations on Linked Stack-POP
Contd…
• Algorithm/Steps for POP operation (using Linked List)
Step 1: IF TOP = NULL
PRINT UNDERFLOW
GO TO STEP 5
[END OF IF]
Step 2: SET PTR=TOP
Step 3: SET TOP=TOP->NEXT
Step 4: FREE PTR
Step 5: END
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Stack using Linked List: Assignments
Assignments:
1. Write a program to insert an element into the
stack using linked list (Push Operation).
2. Write a program to delete an element from the
stack using linked list (Pop Operation).
3. Write a program to return the value of the
topmost element of the stack (without deleting it
from the stack) using linked list (Peep operation).
4. Write a program to display the elements of a
stack using linked list .
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Application of Stack
• Reversing a list
• Parentheses checker
• Conversion of an infix expression into a postfix
expression
• Evaluation of a postfix expression
• Conversion of an infix expression into a prefix
expression
• Evaluation of a prefix expression
• Recursion
• Tower of Hanoi
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluation of Arithmetic Expressions
• Polish Notations
– Infix, postfix, and prefix notations are three different but
equivalent notations of writing algebraic expressions
– While writing an algebraic expression using infix notation,
the operator is placed in between the operands
– Ex: A+B*C: Here operator is placed between the two
operands
– Humans can easily evaluate algebraic expression using infix
notation
– Computers find it difficult to parse infix notations (because
of operator precedence, associative rules, brackets etc)
– Computers work more efficiently with expressions written
using prefix and postfix notations
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluation of Arithmetic Expressions …
Contd.
• Postfix Notations
– A parenthesis free notation, also known as Reverse
Polish Notation or RPN
– The operator is placed after the operands
– Order of evaluation of a postfix expression is always
from left to right
– Operators are applied to the operands that are
immediately left to them
– Does not even follow the rules of operator
precedence, even brackets cannot alter the order of
evaluation
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluation of Arithmetic Expressions …
Contd.
• Infix to Postfix: Example
1. (A + B) * C
[AB+]*C
AB+C*
2. (A + B) / (C + D) – (D * E)
[AB+] / [CD+] – [DE*]
[AB+CD+/] – [DE*]
AB+CD+/DE*–
3. (A–B) * (C+D)
[AB–] * [CD+]
AB–CD+*
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluation of Arithmetic Expressions …
Contd.
• Prefix Notations
– Also known as Polish Notation
– The operator is placed before the operands
– Order of evaluation of a prefix expression is always
from left to right
– Operators are applied to the operands that are
present immediately on the right of the operator
– Does not even follow the rules of operator
precedence, even brackets cannot alter the order
of evaluation
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluation of Arithmetic Expressions …
Contd.
• Infix to Prefix: Example
1. (A + B) * C
[+AB]*C
*+ABC
2. (A + B) / (C + D) – (D * E)
[+AB] / [+CD] – [*DE]
[/+AB+CD] – [*DE]
-/+AB+CD*DE
3. (A–B) * (C+D)
[-AB] * [+CD]
*-AB+CD
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Infix to Postfix
• Infix to Postfix: Steps/Algorithm
Step 1: Add ) to the end of the infix expression
Step 2: Push ( on to the stack
Step 3: Repeat until each character in the infix notation is scanned
IF a ( is encountered, push it on the stack
IF an operand (whether a digit or a character) is encountered, add it postfix expression.
IF a ) is encountered, then
a. Repeatedly pop from stack and add it to the postfix expression until a ( is
encountered.
b. Discard the ( . That is, remove the ( from stack and do not add it to the postfix
expression
IF an operator O is encountered, then
a. Repeatedly pop from stack and add each operator (popped from the stack) to the
postfix expression which has the same precedence or a higher precedence than O
b. Push the operator O to the stack
[END OF IF]
Step 4: Repeatedly pop from the stack and add it to the postfix expression until the stack is empty
Step 5: EXIT
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Infix to Postfix-Example
• Convert the following infix expression into postfix expression
using the algorithm given earlier:A – (B / C + (D % E * F) / G)* H
Soln: A – (B / C + (D % E * F) / G)* H)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluate a Postfix Expression
• Evaluate a Postfix Expression: Steps/Algorithm
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluate a Postfix Expression-Example
• Consider the infix expression 9 – ((3 * 4) + 8) / 4. The
equivalent postfix expression is: 9 3 4 * 8 + 4 / –
• After Step 1, the expression appears like:
934*8+4/–)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluate a Prefix Expression
• Evaluate a Prefix Expression: Steps/Algorithm
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Evaluate a Prefix Expression-Example
• Consider the prefix expression is: + – 2 7 * 8 / 4 12
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Infix to Prefix
• Infix to Prefix: Steps/Algorithm
• Step 1: Reverse the infix string. Note that while
reversing the string you must interchange left and
right parentheses.
• Step 2: Obtain the Postfix expression of the infix
expression obtained in step 1.
• Step 3: Reverse the postfix expression to get the
prefix expression.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Infix to Prefix-Example
• Convert the following infix expression into prefix expression using
the algorithm given earlier: (A – B / C) * (A / K – L)
Soln:
Step 1: Reverse the infix string. Note that while reversing the string we
must interchange left and right parentheses. So we get
(L – K / A) * (C / B – A)
Step 2: Obtain the corresponding postfix expression of the infix
expression obtained as a result of Step 1. The expression is:
(L – K / A) * (C / B – A)
= [L – (K A /)] * [(C B /) – A]
= [LKA/–] * [CB/A–]
= LKA/–CB/A–*
Step 3: Reverse the postfix expression to get the prefix expression
Therefore, the prefix expression is
* – A / B C – /A K L
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Arithmetic Expressions: Assignments
Assignments (to be implemented using stack):
1. Write a program to reverse a list of given
numbers.
2. Write a program to convert an infix expression
into its equivalent postfix notation.
3. Write a program to evaluate a postfix expression.
4. Write a program to convert an infix expression to
a prefix expression.
5. Write a program to evaluate a prefix expression.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Recursion: Introduction
• A recursive function is defined as a function that calls itself to
solve a smaller version of its task until a final call is made
which does not require a call to itself.
• Since a recursive function repeatedly calls itself, it makes use
of the system stack to temporarily store the return address
and local variables of the calling function.
• Every recursive solution has two major cases:
– Base case, in which the problem is simple enough to be solved
directly without making any further calls to the same function.
– Recursive case, in which first the problem at hand is divided into
simpler sub-parts. Second the function calls itself but with sub-parts
of the problem obtained in the first step. Third, the result is
obtained by combining the solutions of simpler sub-parts.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Recursion: Example
• Factorial of a number:
For a number n, n! = n X (n–1)!
Which can have a following solution approach (for n=5):
As every recursive function must have a base case and a
recursive case, for factorial function, we have the following:
• Base case is when n = 1, because if n = 1, the result will be 1 as 1! =
1.
• Recursive case of the factorial
function will call itself but with
a smaller value of n, this case
can be given as:
factorial(n) = n × factorial (n–1)
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
Recursion: Assignments
Assignments (using recursion):
1. Write a program to calculate the factorial of a given
number.
2. Write a program to calculate the GCD of two
numbers using recursive functions.
3. Write a program to calculate exp(x,y) using recursive
functions.
4. Write a program to print the Fibonacci series using
recursion.
5. Write a program to solve the tower of Hanoi problem
using recursion.
Kaustuv Bhattacharjee, UEM Kolkata
