Maximum Depth Of Binary Tree
To solve this coding challenge, we need to determine the maximum depth of a binary tree. The maximum depth is defined as the number of nodes along the longest path from the root node down to the farthest leaf node. Here's how you can approach and solve this problem using a recursive traversal method.
Explanation
- Understanding the Problem :
- The challenge requires calculating the maximum depth of a binary tree.
- Depth is measured by the number of edges along the longest path from the root node to a leaf node.
- Recursive Approach :
- A recursive function can be used to traverse the tree. For each node, we calculate the maximum depth of the left subtree and the right subtree.
-
The base case for the recursion would be an empty tree (where the root is
null
- For each non-null node, the depth would be 1 plus the maximum depth of its left and right subtrees.
- Steps to Solve :
-
If the current node is
null
- Recursively calculate the maximum depth of the left subtree.
- Recursively calculate the maximum depth of the right subtree.
- The depth of the current node is 1 plus the maximum of the depths of its left and right subtrees.
- Complexity :
- Since we visit each node exactly once, the time complexity is O(n), where n is the number of nodes in the tree.
- The space complexity is O(h) for the call stack, where h is the height of the tree. In the worst case (unbalanced tree), this can be O(n).
- Define the recursive function :
- Input: the current node (starting with the root of the tree).
- Output: the depth of the tree starting from the current node.
- Base Case :
-
If the node is
null
- Recursive Case :
- Calculate the depth of the left child.
- Calculate the depth of the right child.
- The depth of the current node is 1 plus the maximum of the depths of the left and right children.
- Invoke the Function :
-
Start by calling
maxDepth
- Base Case Handling :
-
If the input node (initially the root) is
null
- Recursive Calculation :
-
When the node is not
null
- For each call, the function continues to go deeper into the tree until it reaches the leaf nodes (nodes with no children).
- Combining Results :
- After reaching the leaf nodes and returning from the base case, the function calculates the depth for the parent nodes.
- The depth for any node is determined as 1 plus the greater of the depths from its left and right children.
- Return Final Result :
- As the recursive calls unwind, the function ultimately returns the depth of the entire tree, starting from the root.
Detailed Steps in Pseudocode
Pseudocode with Comments
# Define a function to calculate the maximum depth of the binary tree
function maxDepth(root):
# Base case: if the current node is null, return 0
if root is null:
return 0
# Recursive case: calculate the depth of the left subtree
left_depth = maxDepth(root.left)
# Recursive case: calculate the depth of the right subtree
right_depth = maxDepth(root.right)
# The depth of the current node is 1 plus the maximum of left_depth and right_depth
return 1 + max(left_depth, right_depth)