What is a circular queue and how does it work?

What is a circular queue and how does it work?

A circular queue is a linear data structure that follows the FIFO principle but connects the end back to the front, forming a circle.

What are the advantages of using a circular queue over a regular queue?

Circular queues utilize space more efficiently, preventing wastage of unused slots in a regular queue when elements are dequeued.

Can you give me an example of how to implement a circular queue in Python?

Sure! Here's a simple implementation using a list:

class CircularQueue:
    def __init__(self, size):
        self.size = size
        self.queue = [None] * size
        self.front = self.rear = -1

    def enqueue(self, value):
        if (self.rear + 1) % self.size == self.front:
            print('Queue is full')
        elif self.front == -1:
            self.front = self.rear = 0
            self.queue[self.rear] = value
        else:
            self.rear = (self.rear + 1) % self.size
            self.queue[self.rear] = value

    def dequeue(self):
        if self.front == -1:
            print('Queue is empty')
        elif self.front == self.rear:
            temp = self.queue[self.front]
            self.front = self.rear = -1
            return temp
        else:
            temp = self.queue[self.front]
            self.front = (self.front + 1) % self.size
            return temp

What are some real-world applications of circular queues?

Circular queues are used in scenarios like CPU scheduling, buffering, and managing resources in operating systems.