Which of the following statements about inserting a new node at the be...
Inserting a new node at the beginning of a linked list can be done in constant time by adjusting the pointers.
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Which of the following statements about inserting a new node at the be...
Introduction:
In a linked list, each node contains a data element and a reference to the next node in the list. When inserting a new node at the beginning of a linked list, we need to update the reference of the new node to point to the current first node and update the reference of the head to point to the new node.
Explanation:
The correct statement about inserting a new node at the beginning of a linked list is option 'B' - it can be done in constant time. There are a few reasons for this:
1. No shifting of elements: Since we are inserting the new node at the beginning, there is no need to shift any existing elements in the list. We only need to update the references of the new node and the head.
2. Constant time complexity: The time complexity of inserting a new node at the beginning of a linked list is O(1), which means it takes constant time regardless of the size of the list. This is because the number of operations required remains the same no matter how many nodes are already present in the list.
3. No need to traverse the entire list: When inserting a new node at the beginning, we do not need to traverse the entire list. We only need to update the references of the new node and the head, which can be done in constant time.
4. Pseudocode: The following pseudocode demonstrates how to insert a new node at the beginning of a linked list:
- Create a new node with the given data.
- Set the next reference of the new node to the current head.
- Update the head reference to point to the new node.
This pseudocode shows that the insertion can be done in a few simple steps, without the need to traverse the entire list.
Therefore, the correct answer is option 'B' - inserting a new node at the beginning of a linked list can be done in constant time.