3.4. Glossary¶

algorithm

a generic, step-by-step list of instructions for solving a problem

balanced parentheses

each opening symbol has a corresponding closing symbol and the pairs of parentheses are properly nested

deque

an ordered collection of items with two ends and the items remain positioned in the collection. New items can be added at either the front or the rear

first-in first-out (FIFO)

ordering principle in which the first item added is also the first removed

fully parenthesized

the usage of one pair of parentheses for each operator

infix

expression notation in which the operator is in between the two operands that it is working on

last-in first-out (LIFO)

ordering principle in which the last item added is also the first removed

linear data structure

a data structure with elements that have positions relative to each other

palindrome

a string that reads the same forward and backward

postfix

expression notation in which all operators come after the two operands that they work on

precedence

hierarchy on the order things occur

prefix

expression notation in which all operators precede the two operands that they work on

queue

an ordered collection of items where the addition of new items happens at one end and the removal of existing items occurs at the other end

simulation

an imitation of a process or operations

stack

an ordered collection of items where the addition of new items and the removal of existing items always takes place at the same end