What Defines a Binary Search Tree (BST)?
Discover the unique properties that define a Binary Search Tree (BST) and how they enable efficient operations.
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What makes a BST a BST is its unique property where for any node, all elements in its left subtree are less than the node and all elements in its right subtree are greater. This binary search tree (BST) structure ensures efficient searching, insertion, and deletion operations, typically performed in O(log n) time.
FAQs & Answers
- What are the advantages of using a Binary Search Tree? Binary Search Trees provide efficient searching, insertion, and deletion operations with average time complexity of O(log n).
- How does a BST differ from a binary tree? A BST has the specific property that nodes in the left subtree are less than the parent node, while nodes in the right subtree are greater, which is not required for a binary tree.
- Can a BST be unbalanced? Yes, if nodes are added in a sorted order, a BST can become unbalanced, degrading performance to O(n) in the worst case.
- What are some common use cases for Binary Search Trees? BSTs are often used in databases for indexing, in-memory search algorithms, and as foundational structures for other complex data types.