<p>Data structures is nothing but the ways how data of different kinds can be structured in a systematic way. The actual definition may be somewhat lengthy and descriptive which can be found on different sources. But it is all about defining structures of your data that will satisfy your need to solve any particular problem.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-24T19:57:22.210Z
2015-05-24T19:57:22.210Z
Nayan Banik
<p>Lately I have been looking around for a formal definition of a what a data structure is. I cannot find neither a paper, nor a book with such a definition. Even the famous "The Art of Computer Programming" is missing one. Even for just a linked data structure, e.g., binary search tree, I couldn't find one.</p>

<p>So, is there one? Perhaps a paper that is talking about it?</p>

<p>By formal definition I'm thinking of something like "A data structure is a tuple (Op, El, ..) where ...". </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T02:31:49.810Z
[Abstract Data Type](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_data_type)?
Kaveh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T03:07:22.553Z
I think this survey might be relevant: "Cell probe complexity" http://www.cs.umd.edu/~gasarch/BLOGPAPERS/cellprobesurvey.pdf
Thatchaphol
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T09:08:28.237Z
@Kaveh I'm interested in the concrete implementations of abstract data types. ("This contrasts with data structures, which are concrete representations of data, ...").
foobar
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T16:04:35.780Z
It is not clear what you are really looking for. ADT is exactly the kind of the thing you describe in the last paragraph. A data structure is just an implementation of an ADT, not what you describe in the post. I don't see why this doesn't answer your question.
Kaveh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-26T03:11:11.917Z
An abstract data type is a _problem statement_. Saying that a data structure is "just" an implementation of an ADT is like saying that randomized quicksort is "just" an implementation of sorting. True, but completely missing the point.
Jeffε
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-14T08:00:12.487Z
I think closing this was short-sighted.  The relationship between a data structure and an abstract data type is non-trivial.  As is the question of what precisely a data structure is.
zenna
<ds.data-structures><formal-modeling>
Defintion of a Data Structure?
foobar
# Defintion of a Data Structure?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-21)

Lately I have been looking around for a formal definition of a what a data structure is. I cannot find neither a paper, nor a book with such a definition. Even the famous "The Art of Computer Programming" is missing one. Even for just a linked data structure, e.g., binary search tree, I couldn't find one.

So, is there one? Perhaps a paper that is talking about it?

By formal definition I'm thinking of something like "A data structure is a tuple (Op, El, ..) where ...".

**Tags:** ds.data-structures, formal-modeling

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: [Abstract Data Type](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_data_type)?  
> **username_2**: I think this survey might be relevant: "Cell probe complexity" http://www.cs.umd.edu/~gasarch/BLOGPAPERS/cellprobesurvey.pdf  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I'm interested in the concrete implementations of abstract data types. ("This contrasts with data structures, which are concrete representations of data, ...").  
> **username_1**: It is not clear what you are really looking for. ADT is exactly the kind of the thing you describe in the last paragraph. A data structure is just an implementation of an ADT, not what you describe in the post. I don't see why this doesn't answer your question.  
> **username_3**: An abstract data type is a _problem statement_. Saying that a data structure is "just" an implementation of an ADT is like saying that randomized quicksort is "just" an implementation of sorting. True, but completely missing the point.  
> **username_4**: I think closing this was short-sighted.  The relationship between a data structure and an abstract data type is non-trivial.  As is the question of what precisely a data structure is.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-05-24. Score: -5

Data structures is nothing but the ways how data of different kinds can be structured in a systematic way. The actual definition may be somewhat lengthy and descriptive which can be found on different sources. But it is all about defining structures of your data that will satisfy your need to solve any particular problem.


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