Grokking 75: Top Coding Interview Questions
Ask Author
Back to course home

0% completed

Vote For New Content
Applications of Stack
On this page
  1. Memory Management (Function Call Stack)
  1. Expression Evaluation & Syntax Parsing
  1. Undo/Redo Mechanism in Software
  1. Backtracking Algorithms
  1. Depth-First Search (DFS) in Graphs
  1. Web Page History (Back Button in Browsers)

Stacks are widely used in computer science and real-world applications due to their Last-In, First-Out (LIFO) behavior. They provide efficient solutions for problems involving reversibility, function calls, and data backtracking. Below are some key applications of stacks:

1. Memory Management (Function Call Stack)

  • Manages function calls in programming by pushing function calls onto the stack and popping them after execution.
  • Enables recursion, where each function call gets a new stack frame.
  • Helps in tracking local variables and return addresses for each function.

2. Expression Evaluation & Syntax Parsing

  • Ensures correct execution order in arithmetic expressions by managing operator precedence.
  • Used in parsing programming languages, particularly for validating brackets and expressions.
  • Converts infix expressions to postfix notation, which is easier for computers to evaluate.

3. Undo/Redo Mechanism in Software

  • Stores user actions as stack operations in text editors, image editors, and IDEs.
  • Pressing Undo pops the last action from the stack and reverses it.
  • Redo re-applies an action by pushing it back onto the stack.

4. Backtracking Algorithms

  • Used in problems that require trying different possibilities and reverting if needed.
  • Common in Sudoku solvers, maze pathfinding, and the N-Queens problem.
  • Stores previous states, allowing the algorithm to revert to an earlier position when a dead end is reached.

5. Depth-First Search (DFS) in Graphs

  • DFS explores a graph deep into one path before backtracking.
  • Uses a stack to store nodes that need to be visited.
  • Helps in finding connected components, cycle detection, and solving maze problems.

6. Web Page History (Back Button in Browsers)

  • Every visited web page is pushed onto the history stack.
  • Clicking "Back" pops the last visited page, returning the user to the previous one.
  • This method allows users to navigate webpages in reverse order efficiently.

Stacks are a simple yet powerful data structure with diverse applications in memory management, problem-solving, and algorithm optimization. Their efficiency in handling reversibility and sequential access makes them essential in both software development and real-world computing systems.

.....

.....

.....

Like the course? Get enrolled and start learning!

On this page

  1. Memory Management (Function Call Stack)
  1. Expression Evaluation & Syntax Parsing
  1. Undo/Redo Mechanism in Software
  1. Backtracking Algorithms
  1. Depth-First Search (DFS) in Graphs
  1. Web Page History (Back Button in Browsers)