Data Structures

STACK

Dr. M Naveed
 Stack
• A stack is a list of elements in which an
element may be inserted or deleted only
at one end, called the top of the stack

AL 2
 Operation on Stacks
• The following two basic operations
associated with stacks:

(a) “Push” is the term used to insert an

element into a stack

(b) “Pop” is the term used to delete an

element from a stack

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 Example
• Suppose the following 6 elements are
pushed, in order onto an empty stack:
AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE, FFF

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AL 5
 Array Representation of Stack

• One-way list or a liner array is one way

to represent Stack

• Stack will be maintained by a linear

array STACK

• A pointer variable TOP, which contains

the location of the top element of the
stack
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 Array Representation of Stack
contd…

• A variable MAXSTK which gives the

maximum number of elements that can
be held by the stack

• The condition TOP = 0 or TOP = NULL

will indicate that the stack is empty.

AL 7
 Example

AL 8
 Push and Pop Algorithm
• The operation of adding (pushing) an
item onto a stack

• The operation of removing (popping) an

item from a stack.

• The following procedures, called PUSH

and POP

AL 9
 PUSH Algorithm
PUSH(STACK, TOP, MAXSTK, ITEM)
This procedure pushes an ITEM onto a
stack

1. [Stack already filled?]

If TOP = MAXSTK, then: Print
OVERFLOW and Return

AL 10
 PUSH Algorithm contd…
2. Set TOP := TOP + 1
[Increases TOP by 1]

3. Set STACK[TOP] := ITEM

[Insert ITEM IN NEW TOP
position]

4. Return

AL 11
 POP Algorithm
POP(STACK, TOP, ITEM)
This procedure deles the top element of
STACK and assigns it to the variable
ITEM

1. [Stack has an item to be removed?]

If TOP = 0, then: Print:
UNDERFLOW, and return

AL 12
 POP Algorithm
2. Set ITEM := STACK[TOP]
[Assigns TOP element to ITEM]

3. Set TOP := TOP – 1

[Decreases TOP by 1]

4. Return

AL 13
 Usage of Stack
• Stack are used in several different
problems

– Recursion
– Quick Sort
– Polish Notation
– etc

AL 14
 Polish Notation
• Expression involving constraints and
operations (binary operation)

• There are several way to write the

expression are as follows:
– Infix A+B
– Prefix +AB
– Postfix AB+

AL 15
 Polish Notation contd…
• The prefixes “pre” and “post” refer to the
position of the operator with respect to the
two operands

AL 16
 Polish Notation contd…
• Consider the infix expression
A+B*C
• We “know” that multiplication is done
before addition.
• The expression is interpreted as
A+(B*C)

• Multiplication has precedence over

addition.
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

A+(B*C) infix form

 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

A+(B*C) infix form

A+(BC*) convert multiplication
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

A+(B*C) infix form

A+(BC*) convert multiplication
A(BC*)+ convert addition
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

A+(B*C) infix form

A+(BC*) convert multiplication
A(BC*)+ convert addition
ABC*+ postfix form
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

(A + B ) * C infix form
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

(A + B ) * C infix form
(AB+)*C convert addition
(AB+)C* convert multiplication
 Polish Notation contd…
• Conversion to postfix

(A + B ) * C infix form
(AB+)*C convert addition
(AB+)C* convert multiplication
AB+C* postfix form
 Infix to Prefix
• Conversion to prefix

( A+B)*C Infix
(+AB)*C convert addition
*+ABC convert multiplication
 Infix to Prefix contd…
• Conversion to prefix

A+(B*C) Infix
A+(*BC) convert multiplication
+A*BC convert addition
 Infix to Prefix contd…
• Conversion to prefix

(A + B)/(C – D)
 Precedence of Operators
• The five binary operators are: addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division and
exponentiation

• The order of precedence is (highest to

lowest)

• Exponentiation 
• Multiplication/division *, /
• Addition/subtraction +, -
 Precedence of Operators
• For operators of same precedence, the
left-to-right rule applies:

A+B+C means (A+B)+C.

• For exponentiation, the right-to-left rule

applies

A  B  C means A  ( B  C )
 Infix to Postfix
Infix Postfix
A+B AB+
12 + 60 – 23 12 60 + 23 –
(A + B)*(C – D ) AB+CD–*
AL 31
 Importance of Polish Notation

• It is not necessary to make repeated

scans through the expression

• No parentheses

• Evaluation can be achieved with great

efficiency

AL 32
AL 33
AL 34
 Stack for Polish Notation
• Conversion of Infix notation to postfix notation
using STACK
• Evaluation of Postfix expression using STACK
Algorithm for conversion
from infix to postfix
 Q: A+(B*C-(D/E^F)*G)*H

Symbol Scanned STACK Expression P

(1) A ( A
(2) + (+ A
(3) ( (+( A
(4) B (+( AB
(5) * (+(* AB
(6) C (+(* ABC
(7) - (+(- ABC*
(8) ( (+(-( ABC*
(9) D (+(-( ABC*D
(10) / (+(-(/ ABC*D
(11) E (+(-(/ ABC*DE
(12) ^ (+(-(/^ ABC*DE
(13) F (+(-(/^ ABC*DEF
(14) ) (+(- ABC*DEF^/
 Q: 5 * ( 6 + 2 ) – 12 / 4 )

Symbol Scanned STACK Expression P

(1) 5 ( 5
(2) * (* 5
(3) ( (*( 5
(4) 6 (*( 56
(5) + (*(+ 56
(6) 2 (*(+ 562
(7) ) (* 562+
(8) - (- 562+*
(9) 12 (- 5 6 2 + * 12
(10) / (-/ 5 6 2 + * 12
(11) 4 (-/ 5 6 2 + * 12 4
(12) ) 5 6 2 + * 12 4 / -
Algorithm for evaluation of Postfix expression using
Stack
Symbol scanned STACK
(1) 5 5
(2) 6 5 6
(3) 2 5 6 2
(4) + 5 8
(5) * 40
(6) 12 40 12
(7) 4 40 12 4
(8) / 40 3
(9) - 37
(10) )
 Stack Output
B
B (
(( A
((+ A
((+ AB
((+* AB
((+* ABC
((+* ABC
( ABC*+
(/ ABC*+
(/( ABC*+
(/( ABC*+C
(/(/ ABC*+C
(/(/ ABC*+C D
(/(/^ ABC*+C D
(/(/^ ABC*+C DA

AL
(/ ABC*+C DA ^/ 41

ABC*+C DA ^//
AL 42
• Go to ppt titled “Polish Notation
examples.ppt”

AL 43
Evaluation of Postfix Expression
• Algorithm: This algorithm finds the
VALUE of an arithmetic expression P
written in postfix notation.

1. Add a right parenthesis “)” at the end of P

[This act as a sentinel]
2. Scan P from left to right and repeat Steps
3 and 4 for each element of P until the
input P elements have been completed
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 Evaluation of Postfix Expression
3. If an operand is encountered, put it on
STACK
4. If an operator ʘ is encountered, then:

(a) Remove the two top elements of

STACK, where A is the top element
and B is the next-to-top element

(b) Evaluate B ʘ A
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Evaluation of Postfix Expression
(c) Place the result (b) back on
STACK
[End If Structure]
[End of Step 2 Loop]

5. Set VALUE equal to the top element on

STACK

6. Exit
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Infix: convert and evaluation into prefix

4 * (2-(6*3+4)*2)+1
i. Convert
ii. evaluation

AL 47
 Transforming Infix Expression into
Postfix Expression
Algorithm: Polish(P, Q)
Suppose Q is an arithmetic expression written in infix
notation. This algorithm finds the equivalent postfix
expression P
1. Push “(“ onto STACK, and add “)” to the end of Q
2. Scan Q from left to right and repeat Steps 3 to 6 for
each element of Q until the input elements are
completely scanned.

• 48
 Transforming Infix Expression into
Postfix Expression contd…
3. If an operand is encountered, add it
to P
4. If a left parenthesis is encountered,
push it onto STACK

• 49
 Transforming Infix Expression into
Postfix Expression contd…
5. If an operator ʘ is encountered,
then:

(a) Repeatedly pop from STACK and

add to P each operator (on the top
STACK) which has the same
precedence as or higher
precedence than ʘ

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 Transforming Infix Expression into
Postfix Expression contd…

(b) Add ʘ to STACK

[End of If structure]
6. If a right parenthesis is encountered,
then:
(a) Repeatedly pop from STACK and
add to P each operator (on the top
of STACK) until left parenthesis is
encountered
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 Transforming Infix Expression into
Postfix Expression contd…
(b) Remove left parenthesis.[Do not
add the left parenthesis to P]
[End If Structure]
[End of Step 2 loop]

7. Exit

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 STACK
Recursion
AL 54