Final answer:
A stack is a data structure in computer science that follows the last-in first-out (LIFO) principle, meaning the most recently added element is the first to be removed. It is often visualized as a stack of books and is useful in memory management and algorithm implementation.
Step-by-step explanation:
What is a stack? In computing terminology, a stack is a data structure that organizes information in a manner that follows the last-in first-out (LIFO) principle. This means that the last element added to the stack is the first one to be removed. It can be helpful to visualize a stack like a stack of books; the last book you put on the pile is the first one you would take off if you needed it.
A stack does not follow the first-in first-out (FIFO), first-in last-out (FILO), or last-in last-out (LILO) principles. These are patterns of how other data structures manage elements, like queues, which follow the FIFO method.
The concept of a stack is useful in many areas of computer science, including memory management, algorithm implementations, and handling function calls in programming languages. It's an efficient way to manage data when the order of processing needs to be the reverse of the order of arrival.