How Absolute C++ 5th Edition Can Help You Understand Advanced C++ Concepts: Chapter 29 Explained

Absolute C++ 5th Edition 29: A Comprehensive Guide

If you are looking for a book that can teach you the fundamentals of C++ programming in a clear and engaging way, you might want to check out Absolute C++ by Walter Savitch and Kenrick Mock. This book is suitable for both beginners and intermediate programmers who want to learn more about the features and applications of C++. In this article, we will focus on one of the most important chapters in the book: Chapter 29, which covers topics such as pointers, dynamic arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, and recursion. We will explain what these concepts are, why they are useful, and how to use them in your own programs. We will also provide some examples and exercises that you can try out to test your understanding and skills.

Absolute C 5th Edition 29

Introduction

What is Absolute C++ 5th Edition?

Absolute C++ is a textbook that teaches you how to program in C++, one of the most popular and powerful programming languages in the world. It was written by Walter Savitch, a professor emeritus of computer science at the University of California, San Diego, and Kenrick Mock, a professor of computer science at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The book was first published in 2002 and has since been updated to its fifth edition in 2012. The book covers topics such as data types, control structures, functions, classes, inheritance, polymorphism, templates, exceptions, file input/output, operator overloading, containers, iterators, algorithms, and more. The book also includes many examples, exercises, projects, tips, warnings, debugging aids, and self-test questions to help you learn and practice C++ programming.

What is Chapter 29 about?

Chapter 29 is one of the most advanced and challenging chapters in the book. It deals with some of the most fundamental and powerful concepts in C++ programming: pointers, dynamic arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, and recursion. These concepts allow you to manipulate memory directly, create dynamic data structures that can grow and shrink as needed, implement abstract data types that can store and process data efficiently, and solve complex problems using elegant and concise solutions. However, these concepts also require careful attention to detail, good understanding of memory management, and logical thinking skills. Therefore, this chapter is not for the faint-hearted. You need to have a solid grasp of the previous chapters before attempting this one.

Why should you read this book and chapter?

If you want to become a proficient C++ programmer, you should definitely read this book and chapter. This book will teach you the basics as well as some of the advanced features of C++. It will also help you develop good programming habits and style. This chapter will expose you to some of the most important and widely used concepts and techniques in C++ programming. It will also challenge you to think creatively and critically about how to solve problems using C++. By reading this book and chapter, you will gain valuable knowledge and skills that will benefit you in your academic, professional, and personal endeavors.

Main Content

Key Concepts and Techniques in Chapter 29

Pointers and Dynamic Arrays

A pointer is a variable that stores the address of another variable. You can use a pointer to access or modify the value of the variable it points to. You can also use a pointer to create dynamic arrays, which are arrays whose size can be determined at run time. Dynamic arrays are useful when you don't know how much data you need to store in advance, or when you need to resize your array as your program runs. To create a dynamic array, you need to use the new operator, which allocates memory from the heap and returns a pointer to the first element of the array. To delete a dynamic array, you need to use the delete[] operator, which deallocates the memory and frees it for other uses. You should always remember to delete any dynamic array that you create, otherwise you will cause memory leaks.

Linked Lists

A linked list is a data structure that consists of a sequence of nodes, each of which contains some data and a pointer to the next node. A linked list does not have a fixed size; you can add or remove nodes as needed. A linked list is useful when you need to insert or delete data frequently, or when you don't know how much data you need to store in advance. To create a linked list, you need to define a node class that has two members: a data member of any type, and a pointer member of the same node class type. You also need to have a pointer variable that points to the first node of the list, called the head pointer. To traverse a linked list, you need to use a loop that starts from the head pointer and follows the next pointers until it reaches a null pointer, which indicates the end of the list. To insert or delete a node, you need to update the next pointers accordingly.

Stacks and Queues

A stack is an abstract data type that follows the last-in first-out (LIFO) principle. That means that the last item that is added to the stack is the first item that is removed from the stack. A stack is useful when you need to store data in reverse order, or when you need to implement recursive functions. To create a stack, you can use either an array or a linked list as the underlying data structure. You also need to have two operations: push and pop. Push adds an item to the top of the stack, and pop removes and returns the item from the top of the stack. You can also have a peek operation that returns but does not remove the item from the top of the stack.

A queue is an abstract data type that follows the first-in first-out (FIFO) principle. That means that the first item that is added to the queue is the first item that is removed from the queue. A queue is useful when you need to store data in order of arrival, or when you need to implement breadth-first search algorithms. To create a queue, you can use either an array or a linked list as the underlying data structure. You also need to have two operations: enqueue and dequeue. Enqueue adds an item to the back of the queue, and dequeue removes and returns the item from the front of the queue. You can also have a front operation that returns but does not remove the item from the front of the queue.

Recursion

Recursion is a technique that allows you to solve a problem by breaking it down into smaller subproblems of the same type, until you reach a base case that can be solved directly. Recursion is useful when you need to solve problems that have a recursive structure, such as mathematical sequences, tree traversals, backtracking algorithms, etc. To implement recursion, you need to have a recursive function that calls itself with different arguments until it reaches a base case that returns a value without calling itself again. You also need to have a termination condition that prevents infinite recursion and ensures that the function eventually returns.

Examples and Exercises in Chapter 29

Example: A Simple Linked List Class

In this example, we will define a simple linked list class that can store integers. We will also write some functions that can manipulate this class.

// Define a node class class Node { public: // Constructor Node(int value = 0) { data = value; // Define a node class class Node public: // Constructor Node(int value = 0) data = value; next = nullptr; // Data member int data; // Pointer member Node* next; ; // Define a linked list class class LinkedList public: // Constructor LinkedList() head = nullptr; size = 0; // Destructor LinkedList() // Delete all nodes from the list Node* current = head; while (current != nullptr) Node* temp = current->next; delete current; current = temp; // Insert a node at the front of the list void insertFront(int value) // Create a new node with the given value Node* newNode = new Node(value); // Make the new node point to the current head newNode->next = head; // Make the new node the new head head = newNode; // Increment the size of the list size++; // Insert a node at the back of the list void insertBack(int value) // Create a new node with the given value Node* newNode = new Node(value); // If the list is empty, make the new node the head if (head == nullptr) head = newNode; else // Find the last node in the list Node* last = head; while (last->next != nullptr) last = last->next; // Make the last node point to the new node last->next = newNode; // Increment the size of the list size++; // Delete a node from the front of the list void deleteFront() // If the list is not empty, delete the head node if (head != nullptr) // Save a pointer to the head node Node* temp = head; // Make the head point to the next node head = head->next; // Delete the old head node delete temp; // Decrement the size of the list size--; // Delete a node from the back of the list void deleteBack() // If the list is not empty, delete the last node if (head != nullptr) // If the list has only one node, delete it and make the head null if (head->next == nullptr) delete head; head = nullptr; else // Find the second last node in the list Node* secondLast = head; while (secondLast->next->next != nullptr) secondLast = secondLast->next; // Delete the last node and make the second last node point to null delete secondLast->next; secondLast->next = nullptr; // Decrement the size of the list size--; // Print all nodes in the list void printList() // Start from the head and print each node's data until reaching null Node* current = head; while (current != nullptr) cout data next; cout // Test driver function for linked list class int main() // Create an empty linked list object LinkedList myList; // Insert some nodes at both ends of the list and print it myList.insertFront(10); myList.insertFront(20); myList.insertBack(30); myList.insertBack(40); myList.printList(); // 20 10 30 40 // Delete some nodes from both ends of the list and print it myList.deleteFront(); myList.deleteBack(); myList.printList(); // 10 30 // Delete all nodes from the list and print it myList.deleteFront(); myList.deleteBack(); myList.printList(); // empty return 0;

Example: A Queue Class Using a Linked List

In this example, we will define a queue class that uses a linked list as the underlying data structure. We will also write some functions that can manipulate this class.

// Define a node class class Node public: // Constructor Node(int value = 0) data = value; next = nullptr; // Data member int data; // Pointer member Node* next; ; // Define a queue class class Queue { public: // Constructor Queue() front = nullptr; back = nullptr; size = 0; // Destructor Queue() // Delete all nodes from the queue Node* current = front; while (current != nullptr) Node* temp = current->next; delete current; current = temp; // Enqueue an item to the back of the queue void enqueue(int value) // Create a new node with the given value Node* newNode = new Node(value); // If the queue is empty, make the new node both the front and back if (front == nullptr) front = newNode; back = newNode; else // Make the current back node point to the new node back->next = newNode; // Make the new node the new back back = newNode; // Increment the size of the queue // Enqueue an item to the back of the queue void enqueue(int value) // Create a new node with the given value Node* newNode = new Node(value); // If the queue is empty, make the new node both the front and back if (front == nullptr) front = newNode; back = newNode; else // Make the current back node point to the new node back->next = newNode; // Make the new node the new back back = newNode; // Increment the size of the queue size++; // Dequeue an item from the front of the queue int dequeue() // If the queue is not empty, remove and return the front node's data if (front != nullptr) // Save a pointer to the front node and its data Node* temp = front; int value = front->data; // Make the front point to the next node front = front->next; // If the queue becomes empty, make the back null as well if (front == nullptr) back = nullptr; // Delete the old front node delete temp; // Decrement the size of the queue size--; // Return the data of the dequeued node return value; else // If the queue is empty, throw an exception throw runtime_error("Queue is empty"); // Return but do not remove the item from the front of the queue int getFront() // If the queue is not empty, return the front node's data if (front != nullptr) return front->data; else // If the queue is empty, throw an exception throw runtime_error("Queue is empty"); // Check if the queue is empty bool isEmpty() return (front == nullptr); // Return the size of the queue int getSize() return size; private: // Front and back pointers Node* front; Node* back; // Size of the queue int size; ; // Test driver function for queue class int main() { // Create an empty queue object Queue myQueue; // Enqueue some items to the queue and print it myQueue.enqueue(10); myQueue.enqueue(20); // Test driver function for queue class int main() // Create an empty queue object Queue myQueue; // Enqueue some items to the queue and print it myQueue.enqueue(10); myQueue.enqueue(20); myQueue.enqueue(30); cout

Exercise: Write a Recursive Function to Reverse a Linked List

In this exercise, you will write a recursive function that takes a pointer to the head node of a linked list and reverses the order of the nodes in the list. You can assume that the linked list class and node class are already defined as in the previous example.

// Define a recursive function to reverse a linked list void reverseList(Node*& head) head->next == nullptr) return; // Recursive case: reverse the rest of the list and attach the head node at the end else // Save a pointer to the head node and its next node Node* first = head; Node* rest = head->next; // Reverse the rest of the list recursively reverseList(rest); // Make the head node point to null and make its next node point to it first->next = nullptr; rest->next = first; // Make the head point to the new first node of the reversed list head = rest; // Test driver function for reverseList function int main() { // Create a linked list object with some nodes LinkedList myList; myList.insertBack(10); myList.insertBack(20); // Test driver function for reverseList function int main() // Create a linked list object with some nodes LinkedList myList; myList.insertBack(10); myList.insertBack(20); myList.insertBack(30); myList.printList(); // 10 20 30 // Reverse the list using the recursive function and print it reverseList(myList.head); myList.printList(); // 30 20 10 return 0;

Conclusion

Summary of the main points

In this article, we have learned about some of the most important and challenging concepts and techniques in C++ programming: pointers, dynamic arrays, linked lists, stacks, queues, and recursion. We have explained what these concepts are, why they are useful, and how to use them in your own programs. We have also provided some examples and exercises that you can try out to test your understanding and skills.

Recommendations for further reading and practice

If you want to learn more about these topics and practice your C++ programming skills, we recommend you to read the book Absolute C++ by Walter Savitch and Kenrick Mock. This book is a comprehensive and engaging guide that covers the basics as well as some of the advanced features of C++. You can also find more examples, exercises, projects, tips, warnings, debugging aids, and self-test questions in the book. You can also check out some online resources such as cplusplus.com, learncpp.com, and geeksforgeeks.org for more tutorials, articles, videos, quizzes, and coding challenges on C++ programming.

FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the topics covered in this article:

What is the difference between a pointer and