Question

When an element is removed from a queue, where is it removed from?

Short answer

Answer: In a queue data structure, the element removed during a removal operation is the one at the front (head) of the queue following the First In First Out (FIFO) principle.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Queue Data Structure

A queue is a linear data structure that follows the First In First Out (FIFO) order i.e., the element that is added first to the queue is the first one to be removed. Queues work on two primary operations: enqueue (insertion of an element) and dequeue (removal of an element).

Enqueue Operation

The enqueue operation is used to insert an element at the back (rear) of the queue. When an element is added to the queue, it becomes the last element in the queue.

Dequeue Operation

The dequeue operation is used to remove an element from the front (head) of the queue. The element that has been in the queue for the longest time is always removed first.

Answer to the Exercise

When an element is removed from a queue, it is removed from the front (head) of the queue as per the FIFO principle.