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Construct Binary Tree

Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Construct Binary Tree' problem.

Problem Statement

Medium

Given two integer arrays preorder and inorder where preorder is the preorder traversal of a binary tree and inorder is the inorder traversal of the same tree, construct and return the binary tree.

The tree should be returned as a level-order list. Implement a function buildTree(preorder: list, inorder: list) -> list.

Constraints
  • 1 <= preorder.length <= 3000
  • inorder.length == preorder.length
  • -3000 <= preorder[i], inorder[i] <= 3000
  • preorder and inorder consist of unique values
  • Each value of inorder also appears in preorder
  • preorder is guaranteed to be the preorder traversal of the tree
  • inorder is guaranteed to be the inorder traversal of the tree

Examples

Example 1
Input
[3,9,20,15,7], [9,3,15,20,7]
Output
[3,9,20,None,None,15,7]
Explanation

Preorder: root is 3. In inorder, 9 is to the left of 3 (left subtree) and [15,20,7] is to the right (right subtree). Recursively build: left subtree is just [9], right subtree has root 20 with children 15 and 7.

Example 2
Input
[-1], [-1]
Output
[-1]
Explanation

Single node tree.

Need a Hint?
Consider using Trees-specific data structures like sets or heaps.
Edge Cases to Watch
  • Empty input structures
  • Single element inputs
  • Large numerical bounds

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