Programming Concepts

Foundational Data Structures

Choosing how to organize and access information.

Prerequisite knowledge

Comfortable with functions and basic problem decomposition.

Lessons

  1. Lists and dictionaries~25 min
  2. Sets and uniqueness~20 min
  3. Stacks and queues~20 min
  4. Linked structures as a mental model~20 min
  5. Trees and graphs as a first look~25 min
  6. Choosing a structure~20 min

Can I skip this module?

If you can confidently answer "yes" to the questions below, you may be able to move faster through this module or skip to practice.

  • Can you explain when you would choose a dictionary over a list, and why?
  • Do you already know what makes a stack different from a queue?

Capstone

Finish this module by attempting its integrative project on the projects page. Projects are scenario-based: you decide the implementation, and acceptance checks tell you when you're done.