How does a red-black tree work?

Can you explain how a red-black tree works?

Sure! A red-black tree is a balanced binary search tree with specific properties that ensure the tree remains balanced.

What are the properties that define a red-black tree?

There are four main properties: 1) Each node is either red or black, 2) The root is black, 3) Red nodes cannot have red children, and 4) Every path from a node to its descendant leaves has the same number of black nodes.

How do these properties help in maintaining balance?

These properties help ensure that the tree remains approximately balanced, which guarantees O(log n) time complexity for insertion, deletion, and search operations.

Can you give an example of inserting a value into a red-black tree?

Certainly! When inserting a value, you first add it like a regular binary search tree, then you may need to perform rotations and recoloring to maintain the red-black properties.