How to study Data Structure & Algorithm — Semester II, Pokhara University BECE
What it covers
Core data structures and algorithms: stacks, queues, linked lists, recursion, trees and binary search trees, graphs, sorting and searching, hashing, and algorithm complexity analysis.
Topics worth extra time
- Stacks and queues, and their applications (expression conversion and evaluation)
- Linked lists: singly, doubly and circular, with insertion and deletion
- Trees: binary trees, traversals, binary search trees and AVL trees
- Graphs: representation, BFS, DFS, shortest paths and spanning trees
- Sorting and searching algorithms, hashing, and time complexity
How to study it
Trace every algorithm by hand on a small example before coding it: draw the stack, the list nodes or the tree after each step. Then implement it in C or C++. Knowing the time complexity of each operation, and why, ties the whole course together.
In the exam
Many questions ask you to show the step-by-step working of an algorithm on given data (a sort, a traversal, an insertion into a tree). Draw each intermediate state clearly. Pair written algorithms with their complexity.