Singly Linked List

A linked list is a linear data structure where elements are stored in nodes, each pointing to the next node.

Structure

class Node:
    def __init__(self, data):
        self.data = data
        self.next = None

class LinkedList:
    def __init__(self):
        self.head = None

Advantages:

Dynamic size
Efficient insertion/deletion at beginning: O(1)

Disadvantages:

No random access (must traverse from head)
Extra memory for pointers

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Time Complexity

| Operation | Singly Linked List | Array | |-----------|-------------------|-------| | Access | O(n) | O(1) | | Search | O(n) | O(n) | | Insert (beginning) | O(1) | O(n) | | Insert (end) | O(n) | O(1) amortized | | Delete (beginning) | O(1) | O(n) | | Delete (middle) | O(n) | O(n) |

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Quiz

Question 1 of 1

What is the time complexity of accessing the 5th element in a linked list?

O(1)

O(5)

O(n)

O(log n)

Key Takeaways

✅ Dynamic size - no fixed capacity
✅ O(1) insertion/deletion at beginning
✅ O(n) access - no random access
✅ Extra memory for pointers

Essential for dynamic data where size changes frequently! 🚀