Question

 Explain memory representation of linked list with example.

Answer 1

 Representation of Linked List in Memory
Let list be a linked list. Then LIST will be maintained in memory as follows,
i) LIST requires 2 arrays; we will call them here INFO and LINK such that INFO [K] and LINK [K] contain respectively the information part and next pointer field of a node K of list.
ii) LIST also requires a variable name such as START, which contains the location of beginning of list and next pointer which is denoted by NULL, which indicates end of list. The following e.g. shows how linked list is stored in memory. The nodes of the list need not occupy adjacent elements in the arrays INFO and LINK and more than one list may be maintained in the same linear arrays INFO and LINK. But each list must have its pointer variable giving the location of its first node.

Linked list can be picturized in following manner:
1) START =9, INFO [9] =L, LINK [9] =3            
2) INFO [3]=1, LINK [3]=4
3) INFO [4]=N, LNK [4] =8
4) INFO [8]=K, LINK[8]=11
5) INFO [11]=L, LINK [11] =6
6) INFO [6]=I, LINK [6]=7
7) INFO [7] =S, LINK [7] =12
8) INFO [12] =T, LINK [12]=0 ......... last node
  i.e. “LINK LIST” string is stored in form of Linked List.