Tree Practice Question
Duration: 2 min
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AI Summary
An AI-generated summary of this video lecture.
The video presents an academic lecture analyzing a C function operating on a binary tree structure. The instructor displays a multiple-choice question asking for the function's behavior. The code defines a recursive function `fun` that returns 0 for NULL roots and leaf nodes, but returns `1 + fun(left) + fun(right)` for other nodes. The options suggest the function counts leaf nodes, internal nodes, returns height, or returns diameter. The instructor methodically evaluates the code against these options to determine the correct answer.
Chapters
0:00 – 2:00 00:00-02:00
The instructor introduces the problem, displaying the code snippet `int fun(struct node *root)`. He underlines the recursive line `return 1 + fun(root->left) + fun(root->right)`. He draws a small tree diagram with a root and two children to test the logic. He points out that the condition `if (root->left == NULL && root->right == NULL)` returns 0, which contradicts option (A) "Counts leaf nodes" since leaves would return 0 instead of 1. He begins to hypothesize that the function might be counting internal nodes based on the `1 +` addition. He also briefly considers option (C) regarding height but dismisses it because height usually involves `max`, not `sum`.
2:00 – 2:25 02:00-02:25
The instructor focuses on the return value `1` in the recursive step. He traces the execution for the drawn tree: the root is not a leaf, so it returns `1 + fun(left) + fun(right)`. Since the children are leaves, their function calls return 0. Thus, the total is `1 + 0 + 0 = 1`. This confirms the function counts the root as one internal node. He explicitly crosses out options (A), (C), and (D), concluding that the function counts internal nodes, making (B) the correct answer. He emphasizes that the summation `fun(left) + fun(right)` aggregates the counts from subtrees.
The lesson progresses from code analysis to logical deduction using a concrete example. By observing that leaf nodes return 0 and internal nodes add 1 to the sum of their subtrees, the instructor proves the function calculates the total count of internal nodes in the binary tree. This method of tracing base cases and recursive steps is a standard technique for analyzing tree algorithms.