Western Governors University (WGU) ICSC2100 C949 Data Structures and Algorithms I Practice Exam

In a queue, new items are added at the tail, which is the end of the queue. This structure follows the FIFO (First In, First Out) principle, meaning that the first element added to the queue will be the first one to be removed. When you enqueue or add an item, it goes to the rear end of the queue. This method of adding and removing ensures that items are processed in the order they were added.

The tail is the area where elements accumulate as they are enqueued. When an item is dequeued, it is removed from the head, which is the front of the queue, allowing for an orderly processing of the elements. This characteristic distinguishes queues from other data structures, such as stacks, where items are added and removed from the same end.

Understanding this fundamental behavior of queues is crucial as it lays the groundwork for solving problems and designing algorithms that rely on orderly processing of data.