What is the advantage of linked list over an array and vice versa?

Question

Please explain what is the advantage of linked list over an array. And also is there any advantage of using array compared to linked list.

Regards, Shoaib

Answer 1

Since you tagged the question with "data structures" I will answer this in that context.

An array is fixed in size when you declare/create it meaning you can't add more elements to it. Thus, if I have an array of, say, 5 elements, you can do whatever you want with it but you can't add more elements to it.

A linked-list is basically a way to represent a list where you can have as many "items" as you'd like. It consists of a head (the first element), a tail (the last element), and elements ( called nodes ) in-between the list.

There are many types of linked-lists that you will probably encounter in any data structures class.

The key thing you will learn with linked-lists is proficiency when learning how to create fields in your classes to point to other objects, which is the case for linked-lists where you need to construct your list such that each node points to the next node.

Obviously, this is a very generalized answer. It should give you an idea for your class.