Beginning Java Data Structures and Algorithms

Binary Search Tree Operations

Binary search trees are normal binary trees in which data is organized in an ordered manner. Consider the same problem we encountered in the previous section, of the school keeping a student's records by using the passport numbers as a key. Figure 3.10 shows an example of how you can organize the data in a binary tree.

Note how at each node the left child has a key which is less than its own. On the other hand, the right child has a larger key. Shown in the diagram, the root node has a left child containing a key of a smaller value than the root key. On the other hand, the right child has a key of a larger value than the root.

This rule is repeated through the entire tree. In a binary search tree, the left child ...