Theory A circular linked list is a variation of the linked list where all nodes are connected to form a circle, i.e., the last node points back to the first node instead of NULL.
🔹 Why Use Circular Linked Lists?
- No NULL values, making traversal easier.
- Efficient for applications that require circular traversal (e.g., CPU scheduling).
- Insertion and deletion operations are easy compared to linear linked lists.
📌 Algorithm
1. Creation
- Create a new node dynamically.
- Set the
next pointer to itself (for the first node).
- For subsequent nodes, insert them at the end while maintaining the circular link.
2. Insertion
- Insert at the beginning: Adjust pointers to maintain circularity.
- Insert at the end: Traverse till the last node and update pointers.
- Insert at a specific position: Traverse and adjust links accordingly.
3. Deletion
- Delete the first node: Update the head and last node’s pointer.
- Delete the last node: Traverse and adjust pointers.
- Delete a specific node: Find the node, adjust previous node’s pointer.
4. Traversal
- Start from the head node.
- Keep traversing until you reach the head again.