BCA / B.Tech 10 min read

Binary Trees in Data Structures

Binary Tree in Data Structures:


What is a Binary Tree?
A binary tree is a type of data structure that organizes data in a hierarchical form. In a binary tree, each node is connected to a maximum of two child nodes. It is used to organize and store data in a sorted manner. It is designed such that under the root node, every node has at most two nodes in the left and right directions.

Main Elements of a Binary Tree:
Root Node, Child Nodes, Leaf Nodes, Level, Edge.

Types of Binary Trees:
  • Full Binary Tree: Each node has either two children or no children.
  • Complete Binary Tree: All levels are completely filled, except possibly the last level, and the nodes in the last level are as far left as possible.
  • Binary Search Tree (BST): The value of the left child of each node is less than its parent, and the value of the right child is greater.
  • Perfect Binary Tree: All internal nodes have two children, and all leaf nodes are at the same level.
  • Balanced Binary Tree: The height difference between the left and right subtrees of any node is not more than 1.
  • AVL Tree: A self-balancing binary search tree.

Advantages of a Binary Tree:
Efficient Searching, Efficient Insertion and Deletion, Hierarchical Structure, Flexibility, and Optimal Path for accessing nodes.

Disadvantages of a Binary Tree:
The problem of an unbalanced tree can slow down operations, it can use more memory, its structure can be complex, and balancing it can be difficult.

Applications of a Binary Tree:
Searching Algorithms, Data Indexing, Hierarchical Data Structures (like file systems), and finding Optimal Search Paths.