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Definition: A mathematically specified collection of data-storing entities with operations to create, access, change, etc. instances
An abstract data type (ADT) is an organized collection of information and a set of operations used to manage that information
The set of operations define the interface to the ADT
As long as the ADT accurately fulfills the the interface, it doesn't matter how the ADT is implemented
Objects are a perfect programming mechanism to create ADTs because their internal details are encapsulated
Linked lists are one example of an ADT. The linked list interface consist of operations such as add_node, delete_node. Whether the list is implemented as singly-linked, doubly-linked or with a header is irrelevant.
Figure 1 shows an ADT which consists of an abstract data structure and operations. Only the operations are viewable from the outside and define the interface
Figure 1 : An abstract data type (ADT)