In embedded system development, the choice of data structures is crucial for optimizing memory usage, improving program efficiency, and simplifying code logic.
Today, Hua Mei has summarized the eight commonly used data structures in embedded development (recommended to bookmark):
An array is a simple linear data structure used to store a collection of elements of the same type.
In embedded systems, arrays are often used to store configuration information, sensor data, or buffers. Elements in an array can be accessed using the data name + index method, and the storage of elements in the array is in the order of their declaration. The difference in addresses of adjacent elements represents the size of an element.
Advantages:Fast access speed because elements are stored in contiguous memory locations.
Disadvantages:Slow deletion speed, fixed size, cannot change once allocated.
Common interview questions include:
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What is an array?
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What is the difference between arrays and pointers?
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How are multi-dimensional arrays stored?
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How to copy an array?
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How to create a dynamic array?
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How to pass an array as a parameter to a function?
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How to calculate the size of an array?
A linked list is composed of a series of nodes, each containing data and a pointer to the next node. Linked lists are suitable for situations where frequent insertion and deletion of elements are required.
Advantages:Dynamic expansion, easy to insert and delete elements.
Disadvantages:Slow random access, requires traversing the list.
Common interview questions include:
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What is a linked list?
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What are the main differences between linked lists and arrays?
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How to insert a new node at any position in a linked list?
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How to reverse a singly linked list?
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How to detect if a linked list has a cycle?
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How to sort a linked list?
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What is the main difference between linked lists and arrays?
A stack is a last-in-first-out (LIFO) data structure, commonly used for function calls, recursive processing, or temporary data storage.
Advantages:Simple and efficient, easy to implement.
Disadvantages:Only allows insertion and deletion at one end.
Common interview questions include:
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Explain the concept of stack data structure.
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How to implement an array-based stack in C?
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How to implement a linked list-based stack in C?
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How to add a new element to the stack?
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How to remove an element from the stack?
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How to check if the stack is empty?
A queue is a first-in-first-out (FIFO) data structure, suitable for task scheduling, message passing, and other application scenarios.
Advantages:Ensures ordered processing of data.
Disadvantages:Implementation is slightly more complex.
Common interview questions include:
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What are the main differences between queues and stacks?
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How to implement an array-based queue?
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How to implement a linked list-based queue?
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How to determine if a queue is empty or full?
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How to implement a circular queue?
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How to check if a circular queue is empty or full?
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How to implement a thread-safe queue?
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What are the practical application scenarios of queues?
A heap is a special type of complete binary tree. It can be a max heap or a min heap, where the value of the parent node is always greater (or less) than its child nodes’ values. Heaps are commonly used to implement priority queues and heap sorting algorithms.
Advantages:Efficient insertion and deletion operations, simple implementation.
Disadvantages:Low efficiency for lookup operations, not suitable for random access, dynamic size limitations.
Common interview questions include:
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Explain the concept of heap data structure.
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How to implement a min-heap in C?
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How to implement a max-heap in C?
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How to build a heap?
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How to insert a new element into the heap?
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How to delete an element from the heap?
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How to implement heap sort algorithm?
A hash table maps keys to array indices using hash functions, allowing for fast data retrieval.
Advantages:Fast lookup speed, average time complexity close to O(1).
Disadvantages:Needs to handle hash collisions, occupies extra memory.
Common interview questions include:
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Implement a simple hash table.
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Explain what a hash table’s load factor is and discuss how to determine an appropriate load factor.
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List and explain several common hash table collision resolution strategies.
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Analyze the average time complexity of basic operations (insertion, lookup, deletion) in hash tables and discuss how to optimize them.
A tree is a non-linear data structure consisting of nodes and edges, used to organize hierarchical data. Variants such as binary search trees and AVL trees are particularly useful in embedded systems.
Advantages:Can effectively organize and search data.
Disadvantages:Complex implementation, requires maintaining balance.
Common interview questions include:
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Implement a binary tree, including creation, insertion, traversal (pre-order, in-order, post-order), and deletion operations.
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Explain what an AVL tree is and implement the insertion operation for an AVL tree.
A graph consists of nodes (vertices) and edges, which can be used to represent complex relationships and network structures.
Advantages:Very suitable for representing complex relationships.
Disadvantages:Implementation and processing are relatively complex.
Common interview questions include:
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Design and implement a graph data structure, including nodes and edges, and provide methods to add nodes and edges.
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Implement depth-first search (DFS) and breadth-first search (BFS) for graphs.
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