<p>I don't think it has anything to do with the data structure.
It's just the opposite of the <strong>stack</strong>, which carefully orders its elements and doesn't allow them to be read or written except at the top.</p>

CC BY-SA 2.5
2011-01-07T16:13:45.700Z
That's where the confusion comes in. The stack memory is exactly a stack data structure, whereas the heap memory has nothing to do with heap ds.
Geoffrey Zheng
CC BY-SA 2.5
2011-01-07T13:04:04.650Z
2011-01-07T13:04:04.650Z
reinierpost
<p>Does it have anything to do with the heap data structure, for example the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_memory_allocation" rel="nofollow">Buddy blocks</a> implementation, or does it only take the literal English meaning of the word (a big pile)?</p>

<p>I know heap memory is more practical than theoretical, but there's no Stack Exchange for "Practical Computer Science" yet.</p>

CC BY-SA 2.5
2011-01-07T06:24:00.117Z
This might be of your interest http://stackoverflow.com/q/1699057/58737
Pratik Deoghare
CC BY-SA 2.5
2011-01-07T16:13:07.697Z
Me bad, this a dup of a dup. I didn't search on SO at all. Someone please close this as such.
Geoffrey Zheng
CC BY-SA 2.5
2011-01-07T16:26:08.703Z
The answer is available as linked in these comments. Since this really isn't about "theoretical computer science," I'll simply close it as [off topic].
Robert Cartaino
<ds.data-structures><ho.history-overview>
Why is the "free store" memory called the "heap"?
Geoffrey Zheng
# Why is the "free store" memory called the "heap"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2011-01-07)

Does it have anything to do with the heap data structure, for example the [Buddy blocks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_memory_allocation) implementation, or does it only take the literal English meaning of the word (a big pile)?

I know heap memory is more practical than theoretical, but there's no Stack Exchange for "Practical Computer Science" yet.

**Tags:** ds.data-structures, ho.history-overview
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This might be of your interest http://stackoverflow.com/q/1699057/58737  
> **username_0**: Me bad, this a dup of a dup. I didn't search on SO at all. Someone please close this as such.  
> **username_2**: The answer is available as linked in these comments. Since this really isn't about "theoretical computer science," I'll simply close it as [off topic].  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2011-01-07. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

I don't think it has anything to do with the data structure.
It's just the opposite of the **stack**, which carefully orders its elements and doesn't allow them to be read or written except at the top.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: That's where the confusion comes in. The stack memory is exactly a stack data structure, whereas the heap memory has nothing to do with heap ds.  

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