How Data Structures & Algorithms are Actually Used

Step-by-Step Tutorial: Understanding Data Structures and Algorithms in Real-World Applications

1. Introduction to Data Structures and Algorithms:

   • Forest introduces the concept of how data structures and algorithms are used in real-world applications, specifically focusing on social media apps.

2. Data Storage in Social Media Apps:

   • Posts in a social media app are stored as an array of objects in a database table.
   • Each row represents a single post with unique identifiers such as ID, user ID, title, content, URL, and image.

3. Fetching and Displaying Posts:

   • To display posts, the app fetches them from the database and arranges them in descending order based on creation/update timestamps.
   • The fetched data is then returned and stored for use in the application.

4. Mapping Through Posts:

   • Each post object is mapped through to ensure consistency and proper data handling within the application.
   • The posts are then passed to the post feed component for display.

5. Sorting Posts by Upvotes:

   • Posts can also be sorted based on the number of upvotes they receive.
   • This involves sorting the array of post objects based on the vote count value within each object.

6. Sorting Algorithm Used:

   • The sorting algorithm used in JavaScript depends on the engine (e.g., V8 in Chrome or Node.js).
   • Forest mentions the use of Timsort, a hybrid sorting algorithm derived from merge sort and insertion sort.

7. Real-World Use Case:

   • Forest highlights how arrays of objects and sorting algorithms are utilized in actual applications, emphasizing their importance in project development.

8. Introduction to Puzzle Game - Soan:

   • Forest introduces a puzzle game called Soan, where players push boxes to designated spots on the game board.
   • The game involves intricate data structures and algorithms to solve puzzles efficiently.

9. Data Structures in Soan Game:

   • The game board state, walls, boxes, goals, and player positions are captured using a specialized data structure.
   • Hashmaps and arrays are used to map characters to bitfields and store game elements in a 2D setup.

10. BFS Solver Implementation:

    • Forest discusses a Breadth-First Search (BFS) solver for solving puzzles layer by layer.
    • The BFS solver inherits from an abstract solver class and explores all possible moves from a given node before moving on to the next layer.

11. Exploring the Search Space:

    • The BFS solver uses a queue data structure to determine the order in which states are explored.
    • States are explored layer by layer, covering the search space efficiently.

12. Implementation in Java:

    • Forest demonstrates the implementation of the BFS solver in Java, utilizing a queue to explore puzzle states and track valid moves.

13. Conclusion and Subscription:

    • Forest concludes the video by inviting viewers to subscribe if they enjoyed the content and encourages further exploration of data structures and algorithms.

By following these steps, you can gain a better understanding of how data structures and algorithms are applied in real-world scenarios, such as social media apps and puzzle games like Soan.