Balanced Binary Tree
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Balanced Binary Tree' problem.
1. Concept Overview
The 'Balanced Binary Tree' problem is a key challenge in the Trees section.
This implementation focuses on medium-level logic in Python.
We prioritize technical accuracy and code readability in our provided solutions.
2. Real-World Applications
3. Visual Intuition
Visualizing the logic flow for Balanced Binary Tree.
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Thinking
1. Understand the problem
Read the problem statement for Balanced Binary Tree carefully.
2. Formulate brute force
Draft a simple iterative solution.
3. Identify inefficiency
Look for redundant calculations.
4. Optimize search path
Use hashing or sorting to speed up the process.
5. Final Implementation
Clean up the code for production standards.
Problem Statement
Given a binary tree, determine if it is height-balanced.
A height-balanced binary tree is a binary tree in which the depth of the two subtrees of every node never differs by more than one.
The tree is represented as a level-order list. Implement a function isBalanced(root: list) -> bool.
- •The number of nodes in the tree is in the range [0, 5000]
- •-10000 <= Node.val <= 10000
Examples
[3,9,20,None,None,15,7]
True
The left subtree (rooted at 9) has depth 1, and the right subtree (rooted at 20) has depth 2. The difference is 1, so the tree is balanced.
[1,2,2,3,3,None,None,4,4]
False
The left subtree has depth 3 while the right subtree has depth 1. The difference is 2, so the tree is not balanced.
[]
True
An empty tree is considered balanced.
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
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Interview Insights & Variations
Complexity Analysis Breakdown
Why Time: Directly evaluates all possibilities.
Why Space: Uses standard local memory.
Why Time: Optimized paths reduce total operations.
Why Space: May trade memory for speed.
Optimized Solution Python Code
Optimized Solution Python Code
def is_balanced_opt(root):
if isinstance(root, list):
r = build_tree(root)
return is_balanced_opt_helper(r)
return is_balanced_opt_helper(root)
def is_balanced_opt_helper(root: TreeNode) -> bool:
def check(node):
if not node:
return 0
left = check(node.left)
if left == -1: return -1
right = check(node.right)
if right == -1: return -1
if abs(left - right) > 1: return -1
return 1 + max(left, right)
return check(root) != -1Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
def is_balanced_brute(root):
if isinstance(root, list):
r = build_tree(root)
return is_balanced_brute_helper(r)
return is_balanced_brute_helper(root)
def is_balanced_brute_helper(root: TreeNode) -> bool:
if not root:
return True
def height(node):
if not node: return 0
return 1 + max(height(node.left), height(node.right))
left_h = height(root.left)
right_h = height(root.right)
return abs(left_h - right_h) <= 1 and is_balanced_brute_helper(root.left) and is_balanced_brute_helper(root.right)Algorithm Pattern Checklist
When dealing with Trees data patterns.
Core Prerequisites
Revision Key Notes
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
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