Book Image

Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms - Third Edition

Book Image

Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms - Third Edition

Overview of this book

A data structure is a particular way of organizing data in a computer to utilize resources efficiently. Data structures and algorithms are the base of every solution to any programming problem. With this book, you will learn to write complex and powerful code using the latest ES 2017 features. Learning JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms begins by covering the basics of JavaScript and introduces you to ECMAScript 2017, before gradually moving on to the most important data structures such as arrays, queues, stacks, and linked lists. You will gain in-depth knowledge of how hash tables and set data structures function as well as how trees and hash maps can be used to search files in an HD or represent a database. This book serves as a route to take you deeper into JavaScript. You’ll also get a greater understanding of why and how graphs, one of the most complex data structures, are largely used in GPS navigation systems in social networks. Toward the end of the book, you’ll discover how all the theories presented in this book can be applied to solve real-world problems while working on your own computer networks and Facebook searches.
Table of Contents (22 chapters)
Title Page
Dedication
Packt Upsell
Contributors
Preface
Index

Structuring a dataset


A set is a collection of items that are unordered and consists of unique elements (meaning they cannot be repeated). This data structure uses the same mathematical concept as finite sets, but it is applied to a computer science data structure.

Let's take a look at the mathematical concept of sets before we dive into the computer science implementation of it. In mathematics, a set is a collection of distinct objects.

For example, we have a set of natural numbers, which consists of integer numbers greater than or equal to 0—that is, N = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ...}. The list of the objects within the set is surrounded by {} (curly braces).

There is also the null set concept. A set with no element is called a null set or an empty set. An example would be a set of prime numbers between 24 and 29. Since there is no prime number (a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself) between 24 and 29, the set will be empty. We will represent an...