Abstract Data Types

Abstract Data Types

Abstract Data type (ADT) is a type (or class) for objects whose behavior is defined by a set of value and a set of operations.

The definition of ADT only mentions what operations are to be performed but not how these operations will be implemented. It does not specify how data will be organized in memory and what algorithms will be used for implementing the operations. It is called “abstract” because it gives an implementation independent view. heT process of providing only the essentials and hiding the details is known as abstraction.

You can see that these definitions do not specify how these ADTs will be represented and how the operations will be carried out. There can be different ways to implement an ADT, for example, the List ADT can be implemented using singly linked list or doubly linked list. Similarly, stack ADT and Queue ADT can be implemented using lists.

Data abstraction replicate how we think about the world. For example, when you want to drive a car, you don’t need to know how the engine was built or what kind of material the tires are made of. You just have to know how to turn the wheel and press the gas pedal. To facilitate data abstraction, you will need to create two types of functions: constructors and selectors.