Stack Visualizer
What is the "Is Full" Operation?
The Is Full operation checks whether a stack has reached its maximum capacity. This is particularly relevant for fixed-size stack implementations (arrays) rather than dynamic implementations (linked lists).
How It Works
- Returns true if the stack cannot accept more elements
- Returns false if the stack can accept more elements
- For dynamic stacks (no fixed size), this operation typically always returns false
- Often used with Push operations to prevent stack overflow
Time and Space Complexity
Here’s the time and space complexity analysis for stack operations:
Fixed-size Stack:
- Time Complexity: O(1)
- Space Complexity: O(1)
Dynamic Stack:
- Time Complexity: O(1)
- Space Complexity: O(1)
Practical Example
Consider a stack with maximum capacity of 3 elements:
Stack: [ ]
isFull() → false
Stack: [5, 3]
isFull() → false
Stack: [7, 3, 5]
isFull() → true
Common Use Cases
- Preventing stack overflow in memory-constrained systems
- Implementing bounded buffers or fixed-size caches
- Memory management in embedded systems
- Validating stack capacity before push operations
The Is Full operation is crucial when working with fixed-size stacks to prevent overflow errors. While not needed for dynamically-sized stacks, it's an essential safety check in many system-level implementations.
Visualize the LIFO (Last In, First Out) principle
Stack Visualization
Stack is empty
Capacity: 0/5
Stack is empty