The priority queue

As queues are largely applied in Computer Science and also in our lives, there are some modified versions of the default queue that we implemented in the previous topic.

One modified version is the priority queue. Elements are added and removed based on a priority. An example from real life is the boarding line at the airport. The first class and business class passengers get priority over the coach class passengers. In some countries, elderly people and pregnant women (or women with newborn children) also get priority over other passengers for boarding

Another example from real life is the waiting room for patients in a hospital (emergency department). Patients that are in a severe condition are seen by a doctor prior to patients in a less severe condition. Usually, a nurse will do the triage and assign a code to the patient depending on the severity of the condition.

There are two options when implementing a priority queue: you can set the priority and add the element at...