What are red-black trees and how do they work?

What are red-black trees and how do they work?

Red-black trees are a type of self-balancing binary search tree. They maintain balance through specific properties, ensuring that the tree remains approximately balanced during insertions and deletions.

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

A red-black tree has five key properties: 1) Each node is either red or black, 2) The root is always black, 3) Red nodes cannot have red children, 4) Every path from a node to its descendant leaves has the same number of black nodes, and 5) Every leaf (NIL) is black.

How do red-black trees compare to AVL trees?

Red-black trees are generally faster for insertions and deletions compared to AVL trees, which are more rigidly balanced. However, AVL trees provide faster lookups due to their stricter balancing.

Can you give me an example of how to insert a node into a red-black tree?

Sure! When inserting a node, you first add it like a regular binary search tree. Then, you need to fix any violations of the red-black properties, which may involve rotations and recoloring.