Structure
Table
Introduction
What is a Linked List?
How is a Linked List Implemented?
Understanding Node Deletion
Deleting a Node from the Beginning of the Linked List
Deleting a Node from the End of the Linked List
Deleting a Node from the Middle of the Linked List
Time Complexity Analysis
Conclusion
FAQs
Introduction
In the realm of data structures, a linked list is a fundamental and versatile data
structure that allows for efficient storage and retrieval of data elements. One of
the common operations performed on a linked list is deleting a node. This article
explores the process of deleting a node from a linked list, discussing various
scenarios and techniques for accomplishing this task.
, What is a Linked List?
A linked list is a linear data structure consisting of a sequence of nodes, where
each node contains a data element and a reference (or link) to the next node in
the sequence. Unlike arrays, linked lists do not require contiguous memory
allocation. Instead, they dynamically allocate memory for each node and
connect them using pointers.
How is a Linked List Implemented?
A linked list is typically implemented using two main components: nodes and a
head pointer. Each node in the linked list contains the actual data and a pointer
to the next node. The head pointer points to the first node in the linked list.
Understanding Node Deletion
Node deletion involves removing a specific node from the linked list while
maintaining the integrity of the list structure. To delete a node, we need to
adjust the links between the neighboring nodes to bypass the node being
deleted. There are three main scenarios to consider when deleting a node:
deleting from the beginning, deleting from the end, and deleting from the
middle of the linked list.
Deleting a Node from the Beginning of the Linked List
When deleting a node from the beginning of a linked list, we need to update the
head pointer to point to the next node. This effectively removes the first node
from the list. Here are the steps to delete a node from the beginning:
Set the head pointer to the next node.
Free the memory occupied by the node being deleted.