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switchPairs

Language/Type: Java Collections Stacks and Queues
Author: Stuart Reges (on 2014/02/13)

Write a method switchPairs that takes a Stack of integers as a parameter and that switches successive pairs of numbers starting at the bottom of the stack. For example, if the stack initially stores these values: 

    bottom [3, 8, 17, 9, 99, 9, 17, 8, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 14] top

your method should switch the first pair (3, 8), the second pair (17, 9), the third pair (99, 9), and so on, yielding this sequence: 

    bottom [8, 3, 9, 17, 9, 99, 8, 17, 1, 3, 3, 2, 14, 4] top

If there are an odd number of values in the stack, the value at the top of the stack is not moved. For example, if the original stack had stored: 

    bottom [3, 8, 17, 9, 99, 9, 17, 8, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4, 14, 42] top

It would again switch pairs of values, but the value at the top of the stack (42) would not be moved, yielding this sequence: 

    bottom [8, 3, 9, 17, 9, 99, 8, 17, 1, 3, 3, 2, 14, 4, 42] top

You may not make any assumptions about how many elements are in the stack. You are to use one queue as auxiliary storage to solve this problem. You may not use any other auxiliary data structures to solve this problem, although you can have as many simple variables as you like. You also may not solve the problem recursively.

In writing your method, assume that you are using the Stack and Queue interfaces and the ArrayStack and LinkedQueue implementations discussed in lecture.

Type your solution here:


This is a method problem. Write a Java method as described. Do not write a complete program or class; just the method(s) above.

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