Learning paths / Data & Algorithms
DSA Foundations
See every data structure move before you write it.
The summit of the ladder. Start with how algorithm cost is measured, then work through the core data structures, each one as a controllable animation you can step through frame by frame.
Class 11 to 1213 topicsbeginnerabout 7h 10m
0 of 13 topics complete0%
What you will be able to do
- Read and compare algorithm complexity with confidence
- Explain the trade-offs between arrays and linked lists from memory
- Trace BST search and both graph traversals by hand
- Choose a sorting algorithm from its comparison and move costs, not its name
- Write binary search without the off-by-one and infinite-loop bugs
- Turn an exponential recursion into a linear one with memoisation
Topic sequence
Follow it in order. Each topic assumes the one before it.
01Complexity & Big-ObeginnerClass 11 to 12Board exams ask how fast an algorithm grows, not how many seconds your laptop took. Learn Big-O with charts you can step through, then use it to compare sorts and searches.25 min02ArraysbeginnerClass 11 to 12animated labThe structure behind every list in your code: elements side by side, instant access by index, but costly to squeeze a new value into the middle.30 min03StringsbeginnerClass 11 to 12An array of characters with one extra rule in most languages: you cannot change it. That rule quietly turns innocent-looking loops into O(n²) code.30 min04Linked ListsbeginnerClass 11 to 12animated labNodes scattered in memory, joined by a single forward pointer. Cheap to insert into, but you lose the ability to jump straight to position 5, and you can only ever move one way.35 min05Doubly Linked ListsbeginnerClass 11 to 12animated labOne extra pointer per node buys a backward walk, an O(1) tail insert and deletion without a second traversal. It costs memory and a second write on every link change.30 min06StacksbeginnerClass 11 to 12animated labLast in, first out. One end, three operations, and the structure behind undo, browser history and every function call your program makes.20 min07QueuesbeginnerClass 11 to 12animated labFirst in, first out. Add at the back, remove from the front, the fairness structure behind print jobs, ticket systems and breadth-first search.20 min08Trees & Binary Search TreesintermediateClass 11 to 12animated labA hierarchy with one rule that changes everything: smaller values left, larger values right. That rule turns searching into halving.40 min09Graphs, BFS & DFSintermediateClass 11 to 12animated labNodes connected in any pattern at all, social networks, maps, dependencies, and the two traversals that explore them.45 min10Sorting AlgorithmsintermediateClass 11 to 12animated labSix ways to sort a list, and why your exam cares which one you pick. Watch comparisons and swaps in the lab, then see O(n²) and O(n log n) pull apart on bigger inputs.45 min11Searching: Linear & BinaryintermediateClass 11 to 12animated labChecking every element, against halving the problem each step. One million elements: a million comparisons, or twenty.35 min12Recursion: Functions That Call ThemselvesintermediateClass 11 to 12A function can call itself on a smaller piece of the problem. You need a base case that stops, or the stack overflows.30 min13Dynamic Programming: Intro PatternsadvancedClass 11 to 12When recursion keeps solving the same subproblem again and again, remember the answers once. That one trick turns exponential Fibonacci into linear time on exam questions.45 min
How this path closes
01
Project
Apply the whole sequence to one build.
02
Assessment
Quizzes across every topic in the path.
03
Requirements met
Every topic complete and an average of at least 70% across the quizzes.
04
Data Structures & Algorithms Foundations
Your CodexLab Path Certificate, issued the moment you qualify.
Finishing this path earns the Data Structures & Algorithms Foundations certificate, awarded by CodexLab. See the requirements and your progress.