What is Queue?
Queue is a FIFO (First In, First Out) data structure where elements are added at the back and removed from the front. Itβs essential for level-order processing and scheduling.When to Use
BFS
Level-order traversal, shortest path
Scheduling
Task queues, round-robin
Sliding Window
With deque for O(1) operations
Streaming Data
Moving averages, recent items
Pattern Variations
1. Implement Queue using Stacks
2. Moving Average from Data Stream
3. Sliding Window Maximum (Monotonic Deque)
4. BFS Level Order Traversal
Classic Problems
| Problem | Pattern | Key Insight |
|---|---|---|
| BFS Traversal | Standard queue | Process level by level |
| Sliding Window Max | Monotonic deque | Keep decreasing order |
| Queue via Stacks | Two stacks | Amortized O(1) operations |
| Moving Average | Fixed-size queue | Running sum optimization |
| Task Scheduler | Priority queue | Cool down management |