Use Cases of LIFO Operation
- Function Call Tracking: Stacks help computers remember what functions they’re doing. When you call a function, its details are pushed onto the stack. When the function finishes, its details are popped from the stack.
- Undo/Redo Functionality: We have undo and redo buttons in many apps, like text editors. Stacks help with this. When you do something, it’s pushed onto the stack. Undoing means popping the last action and redoing means pushing it back on.
- Expression Evaluation: Stacks are used for solving math problems with parentheses. When you read a math expression, you can use a stack to track what to do with numbers and symbols, making sure the last thing you put in is the first to be used.
LIFO Principle in Stack
LIFO stands for “Last In, First Out“. This principle dictates that the last element added to the stack is the first one to be removed. In other words, the most recently added element is always at the top, and any operations on the stack will affect this top element.