Binary Search Trees

What is a binary tree?

• Property 1: each node can have up to two
successor nodes.
 What is a binary tree? (cont.)
• Property 2: a unique path exists from the
root to every other node

Not a valid binary tree!

 Some terminology
• The successor nodes of a node are called its children
• The predecessor node of a node is called its parent
• The "beginning" node is called the root (has no parent)
• A node without children is called a leaf
 Some terminology (cont’d)
• Nodes are organize in levels (indexed from 0).

• Level (or depth) of a node: number of edges in the path

from the root to that node.

not full!
• Height of a tree h: #levels = L
(Warning: some books define h
as #levels-1).

• Full tree: every node has exactly

two children and all the
leaves are on the same level.
 What is the max #nodes
at some level l?
The max #nodes at level l is 2l where l=0,1,2, ...,L-1

 20
 21
 22
 23
 How to search a binary tree?
(1) Start at the root
(2) Search the tree level
by level, until you find
the element you are
searching for or you reach
a leaf.
 Binary Search Trees (BSTs)
• Binary Search Tree Property:
The value stored at
a node is greater than
the value stored at its
left child and less than
the value stored at its
right child
 Binary Search Trees (BSTs)

In a BST, the value

stored at the root of
a subtree is greater
than any value in its
left subtree and less
than any value in its
right subtree!
 Binary Search Trees (BSTs)

Where is the
smallest element?
Ans: leftmost element

Where is the largest

element?
Ans: rightmost element
How to search a binary search tree?
(1) Start at the root
(2) Compare the value of
the item you are
searching for with
the value stored at
the root
(3) If the values are
equal, then item
found; otherwise, if it
is a leaf node, then
not found
How to search a binary search tree?
(4) If it is less than the value
stored at the root, then
search the left subtree
(5) If it is greater than the
value stored at the root,
then search the right
subtree
(6) Repeat steps 2-6 for the
root of the subtree chosen
in the previous step 4 or 5
How to search a binary search tree?
Tree node structure

template<class ItemType>
struct TreeNode<ItemType> {
ItemType info;
TreeNode<ItemType>* left;
TreeNode<ItemType>* right;
};
Binary Search Tree Specification
#include <fstream.h>

struct TreeNode<ItemType>;

enum OrderType {PRE_ORDER, IN_ORDER, POST_ORDER};

template<class ItemType>
class TreeType {
public:
TreeType();
~TreeType();
TreeType(const TreeType<ItemType>&);
void operator=(const TreeType<ItemType>&);
void MakeEmpty();
bool IsEmpty() const;
bool IsFull() const;
int NumberOfNodes() const;
Binary Search Tree Specification
(cont.)
void RetrieveItem(ItemType&, bool& found);
void InsertItem(ItemType);
void DeleteItem(ItemType);
void ResetTree(OrderType);
void GetNextItem(ItemType&, OrderType, bool&);
void PrintTree(ofstream&) const;
private:
TreeNode<ItemType>* root;
};
 Function NumberOfNodes
• Recursive implementation
#nodes in a tree =
#nodes in left subtree + #nodes in right subtree + 1

• What is the size factor?

Number of nodes in the tree we are examining
• What is the base case?
The tree is empty
• What is the general case?
CountNodes(Left(tree)) + CountNodes(Right(tree)) + 1
 Function NumberOfNodes
template<class ItemType>
(cont.)
int TreeType<ItemType>::NumberOfNodes() const
{
return CountNodes(root);
}

template<class ItemType>
int CountNodes(TreeNode<ItemType>* tree)
{
if (tree == NULL)
return 0;
else
return CountNodes(tree->left) + CountNodes(tree->right) + 1;
}
Function RetrieveItem
 Function RetrieveItem
• What is the size of the problem?
Number of nodes in the tree we are examining
• What is the base case(s)?
1) When the key is found
2) The tree is empty (key was not found)
• What is the general case?
Search in the left or right subtrees
 Function RetrieveItem (cont.)
template <class ItemType>
void TreeType<ItemType>:: RetrieveItem(ItemType& item, bool& found)
{
Retrieve(root, item, found);
}

template<class ItemType>
void Retrieve(TreeNode<ItemType>* tree, ItemType& item, bool& found)
{
if (tree == NULL) // base case 2
found = false;
else if(item < tree->info)
Retrieve(tree->left, item, found);
else if(item > tree->info)
Retrieve(tree->right, item, found);
else { // base case 1
item = tree->info;
found = true;
}
}
 Function
InsertItem
• Use the
binary search
tree property
to insert the
new item at
the correct
place
 Function
InsertItem
(cont.)

• Implementing
insertion
resursively
e.g., insert 11
 Function InsertItem (cont.)
• What is the size of the problem?
Number of nodes in the tree we are examining
• What is the base case(s)?
The tree is empty
• What is the general case?
Choose the left or right subtree
Function InsertItem (cont.)
template<class ItemType>
void TreeType<ItemType>::InsertItem(ItemType item)
{
Insert(root, item);
}

template<class ItemType>
void Insert(TreeNode<ItemType>*& tree, ItemType item)
{
if(tree == NULL) { // base case
tree = new TreeNode<ItemType>;
tree->right = NULL;
tree->left = NULL;
tree->info = item;
}
else if(item < tree->info)
Insert(tree->left, item);
else
Insert(tree->right, item);
}
Function InsertItem (cont.)
Insert 11
 Does the order of inserting
elements into a tree matter?
• Yes, certain orders might produce very
unbalanced trees!
Does the
order of
inserting
elements into
a tree matter?
(cont.)
 Does the order of inserting
elements into a tree matter?
(cont’d)
• Unbalanced trees are not desirable because
search time increases!
• Advanced tree structures, such as red-black
trees, guarantee balanced trees.
 Function DeleteItem

• First, find the item; then, delete it

• Binary search tree property must be
preserved!!
• We need to consider three different cases:
(1) Deleting a leaf
(2) Deleting a node with only one child
(3) Deleting a node with two children
(1) Deleting a leaf
(2) Deleting a node with
only one child
(3) Deleting a node with two
children
(3) Deleting a node with two
children (cont.)
• Find predecessor (i.e., rightmost node in the
left subtree)
• Replace the data of the node to be deleted
with predecessor's data
• Delete predecessor node
 Function DeleteItem (cont.)
• What is the size of the problem?
Number of nodes in the tree we are examining
• What is the base case(s)?
Key to be deleted was found
• What is the general case?
Choose the left or right subtree
Homework /
Reading
Assignment
 Solve it

Write 3 scenarios for deleting

an item from a binary search
tree
 Tree Traversals
There are mainly three ways to traverse a tree:
1) Inorder Traversal
2) Postorder Traversal
3) Preorder Traversal
 Inorder Traversal: A E H J M T Y
Visit second
tree

‘J’

‘E’ ‘T’

‘A’ ‘H’ ‘M’ ‘Y’

Visit left subtree first Visit right subtree last

39
 Inorder Traversal
• Visit the nodes in the left subtree, then visit
the root of the tree, then visit the nodes in
the right subtree
Inorder(tree)
If tree is not NULL
Inorder(Left(tree))
Visit Info(tree)
Inorder(Right(tree))

Warning:
Warning "visit" implies do something with the value at
the node (e.g., print, save, update etc.).
Preorder Traversal: J E A H T M Y
Visit first
tree

‘J’

‘E’ ‘T’

‘A’ ‘H’ ‘M’ ‘Y’

Visit left subtree second Visit right subtree last

41
 Preorder Traversal
• Visit the root of the tree first, then visit the
nodes in the left subtree, then visit the
nodes in the right subtree
Preorder(tree)
If tree is not NULL
Visit Info(tree)
Preorder(Left(tree))
Preorder(Right(tree))
 Postorder Traversal: A H E M Y T J
Visit last
tree

‘J’

‘E’ ‘T’

‘A’ ‘H’ ‘M’ ‘Y’

Visit left subtree first Visit right subtree second

43
 Postorder Traversal
• Visit the nodes in the left subtree first, then
visit the nodes in the right subtree, then visit
the root of the tree
Postorder(tree)
If tree is not NULL
Postorder(Left(tree))
Postorder(Right(tree))
Visit Info(tree)
 Tree
Traversals:
another
example