Binary Tree Sort is a sorting algorithm that leverages a binary search tree (BST) to sort elements.
The basic idea is to insert each element of the input list into a BST, then perform an in-order
traversal of the tree to retrieve the elements in sorted order.
Here’s a step-by-step algorithm for Binary Tree Sort:
Algorithm: Binary Tree Sort
Input:
A list or array of elements
L.
Output:
A sorted list or array
L
sorted
Lsorted .
Steps:
1 Define a Tree Node: Create a class for the nodes of the binary search tree (BST). Each node
should store:
◦ The value of the node.
◦ References to the left and right children.
2 Insert Function: Write a function to insert a new value into the BST. This function will:
◦ Start at the root.
◦ Recur down the tree, placing the value in the left or right subtree based on comparison
with the current node’s value.
◦ If the tree is empty, create a new node and place it at the current position.
3 In-Order Traversal: Write a function to perform an in-order traversal of the BST. This
function will:
◦ Visit the left subtree.
◦ Visit the current node.
◦ Visit the right subtree.
◦ Collect the values in a list.
4 Tree Sort Function: Combine the above steps into the main sorting function:
◦ Initialize the BST.
◦ Insert all elements from the input list into the BST.
◦ Perform an in-order traversal of the BST to get the sorted elements.
5 Return the Sorted List.
Python Implementation:
python
Copy code
class TreeNode:
def __init__(self, value):
self.value = value
self.left = None
self.right = None
def insert(root, value):
"""Insert a value into the binary search tree."""
if root is None:
return TreeNode(value)
if value < root.value:
root.left = insert(root.left, value)
else:
root.right = insert(root.right, value)
return root
def in_order_traversal(root, sorted_list):
"""Perform in-order traversal and collect values in
sorted_list."""
if root is not None:
in_order_traversal(root.left, sorted_list)
sorted_list.append(root.value)
in_order_traversal(root.right, sorted_list)
def binary_tree_sort(input_list):
"""Sort the input list using binary tree sort."""
if not input_list:
return []
# Initialize the BST
root = None
# Insert each element into the BST
for value in input_list:
root = insert(root, value)
# Retrieve the elements in sorted order
sorted_list = []
in_order_traversal(root, sorted_list)
return sorted_list
# Example usage
input_list = [3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6, 5]
sorted_list = binary_tree_sort(input_list)
print(sorted_list) # Output: [1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 9]
Explanation:
• TreeNode Class:
◦ Represents each node in the BST.
◦ Stores the value and references to the left and right child nodes.
• insert Function:
◦ Recursively finds the correct place for a new value and inserts it in the tree.
◦ Ensures that smaller values go to the left and larger values go to the right.
• in_order_traversal Function:
◦ Traverses the BST in order, adding node values to the sorted_list.
◦ This traversal order guarantees that the values are added in ascending order.
• binary_tree_sort Function:
◦ Initializes the root of the BST.
◦ Inserts each value from the input list into the BST.
◦ Collects the values in sorted order using in-order traversal.
This algorithm effectively sorts the input list by exploiting the properties of the binary search
tree. The time complexity is
log
)
O(nlogn) on average, but it can degrade to
n
2
)
O(n2) in the worst case if the tree becomes unbalanced.
