What is the primary advantage of using a deque (double-ended stack) over a standard stack?
Improved search efficiency for sorted data.
Lower memory consumption for large data sets.
Faster access to elements in the middle of the stack.
Ability to efficiently add or remove elements from both ends.
You are tasked with designing a double-ended stack using a fixed-size array. Which of the following strategies is MOST likely to result in frequent stack overflows, even when the total number of elements in the stack is significantly less than the array's capacity?
Using separate head and tail pointers that move towards each other.
Resizing the array dynamically whenever an overflow occurs.
Growing the stack from both ends towards the middle of the array.
Growing the stack from one end and allowing the other end to wrap around when it reaches the array boundary.
Imagine you're implementing a stack with a fixed-size array. Which situation leads to a stack overflow even if the number of elements in the stack is less than the array's size?
Popping an element when the stack pointer is at the beginning of the array.
Pushing an element when the stack pointer is at the end of the array, even if some initial array slots are empty.
Pushing an element when the stack pointer is at the middle of the array.
Popping an element when the stack pointer is at the end of the array.
The stock span problem requires finding the number of consecutive days before each day with a stock price less than or equal to the current day's price. What is the time complexity of the most efficient algorithm for this problem using a stack?
O(n^2)
O(n)
O(1)
O(n log n)
Consider a scenario where you need to implement a backtracking algorithm. Which stack implementation would be most suitable?
Multi-stack implementation in a single array
Standard stack
Double-ended stack (deque)
Persistent stack
You need to implement a stack that supports push, pop, and find-minimum operations, all in O(1) time complexity. Which data structure is best suited for this scenario?
A single stack storing only the minimum element encountered so far.
Two stacks: one for the main data and one for storing elements in sorted order.
A binary search tree to efficiently maintain sorted data and find the minimum.
A single stack where each element is a pair containing the value and the minimum value up to that point.
How can you implement a deque using two stacks effectively?
Use one stack for the front half of the deque and the other for the rear half.
Store the deque elements in both stacks simultaneously for redundancy.
Use one stack for enqueuing and the other for dequeuing, transferring elements when one stack is empty.
Alternate between pushing elements onto the two stacks, maintaining a balance.
Which of the following scenarios is MOST likely to benefit from using a persistent stack data structure?
All of the above.
Managing function call stacks in a recursive algorithm.
Storing a history of user actions for analytics purposes.
Implementing an undo/redo functionality in a text editor.
In the context of memory management within a stack, what is the primary advantage of using linked lists over arrays?
Arrays offer better cache locality compared to linked lists, leading to faster execution.
Linked lists provide faster access to elements compared to arrays.
Arrays are generally more memory-efficient than linked lists.
Linked lists allow for dynamic memory allocation, preventing potential overflow issues.
What is an advantage of using a persistent stack in a concurrent programming environment?
Improves performance by allowing parallel access to the stack.
Simplifies data sharing and communication between threads.
Reduces the risk of race conditions and data inconsistencies.
Eliminates the need for locks or synchronization primitives.