What are some examples of unbalanced trees in data structures?

What are some examples of unbalanced trees in data structures?

Unbalanced trees occur when the height of the left and right subtrees differ significantly. Examples include:

1. Linked List: A tree where each node has only one child, resembling a linked list.
2. Skewed Trees: Trees that are skewed to one side, either left or right, leading to poor performance in operations.

Can you explain why unbalanced trees are a problem?

Unbalanced trees can lead to inefficient operations. For example, in a binary search tree, the time complexity for search, insert, and delete operations can degrade to O(n) instead of O(log n) if the tree is unbalanced.

How can we balance a tree?

To balance a tree, you can use techniques like:

1. Rotations: Perform left or right rotations to adjust the tree structure.
2. Self-Balancing Trees: Use data structures like AVL trees or Red-Black trees that automatically maintain balance during insertions and deletions.

What are AVL trees?

AVL trees are a type of self-balancing binary search tree where the difference in heights between the left and right subtrees is at most one. This ensures that operations remain efficient.