Static and Dynamic data structures in Java with Examples
In Java, a data structure is a way of organizing and storing data in memory. There are two types of data structures: static and dynamic.
Static data structures are those in which the size of the structure is fixed at compile time and cannot be changed at runtime. Examples of static data structures in Java include arrays, structs, and static tables. Since the size of these data structures is fixed, they are often used for small and simple data sets.
Dynamic data structures are those in which the size of the structure can be changed at runtime. Examples of dynamic data structures in Java include linked lists, stacks, queues, and trees. Since these data structures can grow or shrink as needed, they are often used for more complex and larger data sets.
The main advantage of dynamic data structures is their flexibility. They can grow or shrink as needed, which makes them more efficient for large data sets. On the other hand, static data structures can be more efficient for small data sets since they have a fixed size and require less overhead.
The data structure is a way of storing and organizing data efficiently such that the required operations on them can be performed efficiently concerning time as well as memory. Simply, Data Structure is used to reduce the complexity (mostly the time complexity) of the code. Data structures can be of two types:
Static Data structure
In the Static data structure, the size of the structure is fixed. The content of the data structure can be modified without changing the memory space allocated to it.
Examples of Static Data Structures:
Array
- An array is a container object that holds a fixed number of values of a single type. The length of an array is established when the array is created. An array is a group of like-typed variables that are referred to by a common name. Arrays in Java work differently than they do in C/C++. Syntax:
// Declaration type var-name[]; OR type[] var-name; // Initialization var-name = new type [size];