IIT Bombay

Data Structures and Algorithms

Prof. Ajit A. Diwan
Prof. Ganesh Ramakrishnan
Prof. Deepak B. Phatak
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
IIT Bombay

Session: Stacks

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 1

Sequence Data Types
IIT Bombay

• Many data types in computer science have their values as

sequence of elements of some type.
• Differ in the operations that can be performed on these values.
• Restricting the allowed operations prevents improper use.
• Clarifies the purpose for which the variables of that type are
being used.
• Improves the readability of programs.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 2

Stack
IIT Bombay

• A stack of type T is also a sequence of type T.

• Certain operations are defined for a stack.
• Only those operations can be used on a stack.
• Allows efficient implementation of the restricted set of
operations.
• Allows clearer descriptions of other functions.
• Simplest data type whose value is a sequence.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 3

Stack
IIT Bombay

• Allowed operations for a stack:

• empty(S)
• empty(Ф) = true
• empty(push(x,S)) = false for all x
• push(x,S) ( Note that this is different from the push
operation on a sequence, although it does the same thing)
• push(x,Ф) = push(x,Ф)
• push(x,push(y,S)) = push(x,push(y,S))
• The push on the right hand side is the operation on
sequences
Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 4
Stack
IIT Bombay

• pop(S)
• pop(Ф) = undefined (will give an error if executed)
• pop(push(x,S)) = S
• top(S)
• top(Ф) = undefined
• top(push(x,S)) = x
• Only these operations are allowed for a variable of stack
type

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 5

Programming with Stacks
IIT Bombay

• Given a sequence of opening and closing parenthesis, we

want to write a function that returns true if the sequence is
balanced, and false otherwise.
• The sequence is balanced if every opening parenthesis has a
corresponding closing parenthesis, and these are properly
nested.
• “(()())’’ is a balanced parenthesis string but “())(‘’ is not.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 6

Balanced Parenthesis Sequence
IIT Bombay

• We define a function balanced(S), where S is a sequence of

parenthesis.
• To do this, we define another function valid(S1,S2), where
S1 is a sequence of parenthesis, while S2 is a stack of
opening parenthesis.
• The stack is used to “remember’’ the left parenthesis seen
so far in S1.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 7

Balanced Parenthesis Sequence
IIT Bombay

valid(Ф,S2) = empty(S2)
valid(push(‘(‘,S1),S2) = valid(S1, push(‘(‘,S2))
valid(push(‘)’,S1),S2) = false if empty(S2)
= valid(S1,pop(S2)) otherwise
balanced(S) = valid(S,Ф)
• Note that we use the allowed operations on the stack
variable. This simplifies description of more complicated
functions built using a stack.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 8

Reverse
IIT Bombay

• A simpler description of reverse using a stack.

• Use another function help(S1,S2) that uses a stack S2 to
reverse the sequence S1.
help(Ф,S2) = S2
help(push(x,S1),S2) = help(S1,push(x,S2))
reverse(S1) = help(S1,Ф)
• Can you prove that this is the same function as defined
earlier?

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 9

 Exercises
IIT Bombay

• Is it true that push(top(S),pop(S)) = S for all stacks S? If not, under

what conditions is this property true?
• Write a function bottom(S) that returns the bottom element of a
stack S. Note that you should only use the operations defined for a
stack. The function is undefined for an empty stack.

Ajit A. Diwan, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, and Deepak B. Phatak, IIT Bombay 10