Binary Search Trees

Instructor: Ashok Singh Sairam

Lecture Plan
• Binary Search Trees (BST) Operations
§ Searching
§ Minimum
§ Maximum
§ Successor
§ Predecessor
§ Insertion
§ Deletion

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Binary Tree Representation
• Tree representation:
§ A linked data structure in which each
node is an object
• Node representation: parent
x.key field L R
§
keydata
§ Satellite data
§ x.left: pointer to left child
§ x.right: pointer to right child Left childRight child
§ x.p: pointer to parent
root.p = NIL)

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Binary Search Tree
• A BST is a binary tree that satisfy the binary-
search-tree property
• Binary search tree property: 5
§ If y is in left subtree of x,
3 7
then y.key ≤ x.key
2 5 9
§ If y is in right subtree of x,
then y.key ≥ x.key

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Operations supported
• Support many dynamic set operations
§ SEARCH, MINIMUM, MAXIMUM, PREDECESSOR,
SUCCESSOR, INSERT, DELETE
• Running time of basic operations on binary search
trees
§ On average: (lgn)
• The expected height of the tree is lgn
§ In the worst case: (n)
• The tree is a linear chain of n nodes

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Traversing a BST
• Inorder tree walk:
§ Root is printed between the values of its left and right
subtrees: left, root, right
§ Keys are printed in sorted order
• Preorder tree walk: root printed first: root, left, right
• Postorder tree walk: root printed last: left, right, root

5 Inorder: 2 3 5 5 7 9
Preorder: 5 3 2 5 7 9
3 7
2 5 9 Postorder: 2 5 3 9 7 5

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Searching for a Key
• Given a pointer to the root of a tree and a key k:
§ Return a pointer to a node with key k if one 5
exists
§ Otherwise return NIL 3 7
• Idea 2 4 9
§ Starting at the root: trace down a path by
comparing k with the key of the current node:
• If the keys are equal: we have found the key
• If k < x.key search in the left subtree of x
• If k > x.key search in the right subtree of x

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Example: TREE-SEARCH

15
Search for key 13:
6 18 n 15  6  7  13
3 7 17 20
2 4 13
9

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Searching for a key

• Running Time: O (h),

• h – the height of the tree

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Finding the Minimum in a BST
• Goal: find the minimum value in a BST
§ Following left child pointers from the root, until a NIL is
encountered 15

6 18
3 7 17 20
2 4 13
9
• Running time: O(h), h – height of tree Minimum = 2

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Finding the Maximum in a BST
• Goal: find the maximum value in a BST
§ Following right child pointers from the root, until a NIL is
encountered 15

6 18
3 7 17 20
2 4 13
• Running time: O(h), h – height of tree 9
Maximum = 20

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Successor
Def: successor (x ) = y, such that y.key is the
smallest key > x.key 15
• E.g.: successor (15)
17=
successor (13)
15= 6 18
successor (9)13
= 3
x
7 17 y 20
• Case 1: x.right is non empty 2 4 13
§ successor (x ) = minimum in x.right 9
§ Case 2: x.right is empty
§ go up the tree until the current node is a left child:
successor (x ) is the parent of the current node
§ if you cannot go further (and you reached the root): x is
the largest element
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Finding the Successor

• Running time: O (h), h – height of the tree

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Predecessor
Def: predecessor (x ) = y, such that y.key is the
biggest key < x.key 15
y
• E.g.: predecessor (15)13 = x 18
6
predecessor (9)7=
predecessor (7)6= 3 7 17 20
• Case 1: x.left is non empty 2 4 13
§ predecessor (x ) = the maximum in x.left
9
• Case 2: x.left is empty
§ go up the tree until the current node is a right child:
predecessor (x ) is the parent of the current node
§ if you cannot go further (and you reached the root): x
is the smallest element
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Exercise

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Insertion
• Goal: Insert value v into a binary search tree
• Idea: Beginning at the root, go down the tree and maintain:
• Pointer x : traces the downward path Insert value 13
(current node) 12
• Pointer y : parent of x (“trailing pointer” )
§ If x.key < v move to the right child of x, 5 18

else move to the left child of x 2 9 15 19

§ When x is NIL, we found the 1 3 13 17
correct position
§ If v < y.key insert the new node as y’s left hild else insert
it as y’s right child

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Example: Tree-Insert
y
x=root[T], y=NIL 12
Insert 13: 12
x
5 18
5 18
2 9 15 19
2 9 15 19
1 3 17
1 3 17

12 12

x y
5 18 5 18
2 9 15 19 2 9 15 19
1 3 17 1 3 13 17
x = NIL
y = 15
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Pseudocode: Tree-Insert

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Deletion: Case 1
• Goal: Delete a given node z from a binary search tree
• Idea: Case 1: z has no children
• Delete z by making the parent of z point to NIL
15 15

5 16 5 16

3 12 20 3 12 20

10 13 18 23 10 18 23

6 delete 6

7 7

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Deletion: Case 2
• Case 2: z has one child
§ Delete z by making the parent of z point to z’s child,
instead of to z

15 15
z delete
5 16 5 20

3 3 12 18 23
12 20

10 13 18 23 10

6 6

7 7

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 Deletion: Case 3
• Case 3: z has two children
§ z’s successor (y) is the minimum node in z’s right subtree
§ y has either no children or one right child (but no left child)
§ Delete y from the tree (via Case 1 or 2)
§ Replace z’s key and satellite data with y’s.
15 15
delete z
5 16 6 16

3 12 20 3 12 20

10 13 18 23 10 13 18 23

6 7

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Algorithm: Tree-Delete
Tree-Delete(T,z)
1. if z.left = NIL and z.right = NIL
2. z.p = Nil // Case 1
3. if z.left = NIL or z.right = NIL
4. then y ← z // Case 2 15
y
5. else y ← TREE-SUCCESSOR(z) //Case 3
5 16
6. if y.left  NIL x
7. then x ← y.left 3 12 20
8. else x ← y.right 10 13 18 23
9. if x  NIL
6
10. then x.p ← y.p Case 2
7

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Algorithm: Tree-Delete – contd.
15 y

11. if y.p = NIL 5 16

x
12. then T.root ← x 3 12 20
13. else if y = y.p.left 10 13 18 23
14. then y.p.left ← x 6 Case 2
15. else y.p.right ← x
7
16. if y  z // Case 3 15
17. then z.key ← y.key delete z
5 16
18. copy y’s satellite data into z
19. return y 3 12 20

10 13 18 23
y 6
Case 3
7
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Binary Search Trees - Summary
• Operations on binary search trees:
§ SEARCH O(h)
§ PREDECESSOR O(h)
§ SUCCESOR O(h)
§ MINIMUM O(h)
§ MAXIMUM O(h)
§ INSERT O(h)
§ DELETE O(h)
• These operations are fast if the height of the tree is small – otherwise
their performance is similar to that of a linked list

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Acknowledgement
• Dr George Bebis, Foundation Professor, Dept of
Computer Science and Engineering, University of
Nevada Reno

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