What is the difference between a priority queue and a regular queue?

What is the difference between a priority queue and a regular queue?

A regular queue processes items in a first-in, first-out (FIFO) manner, while a priority queue processes items based on their priority.

Can you give me an example of when to use a priority queue?

Sure! A priority queue is useful in scenarios like task scheduling, where tasks with higher priority need to be executed before others.

How do I implement a priority queue in Python?

You can use the heapq module in Python to implement a priority queue. It allows you to maintain a heap data structure.

What are the performance differences between the two?

Regular queues have O(1) time complexity for enqueue and dequeue operations, while priority queues can have O(log n) for enqueue and O(1) for dequeue, depending on the implementation.