Tree Data Structure

Introduction to Trees

What is a Tree?

A tree is a non-linear hierarchical data structure consisting of nodes, with a single node as the root and zero or more child nodes. Each node (except the root) has exactly one parent.

  • Root node: The topmost node.
  • Leaf node: A node with no children.
  • Internal node: A node with at least one child.
  • Height: Number of edges on the longest path from root to a leaf.
  • Depth: Number of edges from root to the node.
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A simple binary tree visualization
Real-life analogy: Family tree, organization chart, file system directories.