Imagine reading a list from top to bottom. Sequential access retrieves elements one by one, beginning with the first element and following the sequence. section 2.8
Finding the tenth item
To read the tenth element of a linked list, you must read the first nine elements and follow each link. You cannot jump directly to item ten. section 2.8
Compare sequential access with random access:
- Linked lists provide sequential access only because each item reveals where the next item is. section 2.8
- Arrays provide random access, so they can jump directly to a position. section 2.8
- Arrays can also make sequential reads faster by reading a whole nearby section at once; linked lists cannot use that approach. section 2.8
