Priority Queues Having the right priorities is important for succeeding in life.
On a quiet Saturday afternoon, presented with the opportunity of taking a nap, watching TV, playing soccer, or studying this chapter, the zealous student will certainly give first priority to the latter task. Outside of comfy campus boundaries, priorities are an even more serious matter. Choosing the next flight that can land may be a life-critical application. Thus, she thinks she will be given top priority if seats become available. Such a priority is typically a numerical value, and we take the view that the smallest numerical value should have first priority, but, as we show in this chapter, we can support the opposite viewpoint just as easily.