How to Identify If a Coding Problem Can Be Solved Using a Binary Tree

A Binary Tree is a hierarchical data structure where each node has at most two children (left
and right). Many problems that involve hierarchical relationships, recursive structures, or
order-based traversals can be solved using Binary Trees.

1️⃣ How to Identify If a Problem Involves a Binary Tree?

✅ The problem explicitly mentions a “Tree” or “Hierarchy.”
✅ The problem requires efficient searching, sorting, or ordering.
✅ The problem involves recursive relationships (e.g., parent-child dependencies).
✅ The problem requires structure-based traversal (preorder, inorder, postorder).
✅ You need to find Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA), depth, height, etc.
✅ The problem asks for an efficient solution involving comparisons (Binary Search
Tree).

2️⃣ Types of Binary Trees & Their Use Cases

Tree Type How to Identify? Usage
Binary Tree (General) Parent-child relationships, Used for tree traversal, DFS,
hierarchical structures. BFS.
Binary Search Tree Searching, sorting, ordered data. Used for fast lookups (O(log
(BST) n)), insertion, and deletion.
Balanced BST (AVL, Need self-balancing properties Used when efficient O(log n)
Red-Black Tree) for faster operations. operations are needed.
Heap (Min/Max Heap) Need quick access to the Used for priority queues,
smallest/largest element. scheduling, and sorting.
Segment Tree / Range queries, sum queries, Used for interval-based
Fenwick Tree interval operations. problems (sum, min, max).
Trie (Prefix Tree) Searching words, auto- Used for dictionary-based
completion, prefix-based queries. problems.

3️⃣ Common Problem Patterns & When to Use a Binary Tree

 Problem Type How to Identify? Tree Type Approach
Tree Traversal “Visit all nodes in a tree Binary Use DFS
(Preorder, Inorder, in a certain order.” Tree (Pre/In/Postorder) or
Postorder, Level Order BFS (Level Order).
BFS)
Lowest Common “Find the lowest common Binary Use recursive LCA
Ancestor (LCA) ancestor of two nodes.” Tree / BST approach or BST
properties.
Diameter of a Tree “Find the longest path Binary Use DFS to find max
between two nodes in a Tree depth of left & right
tree.” subtrees.
Max Depth / Min Depth “Find the Binary Use DFS or BFS.
maximum/minimum Tree
depth of a tree.”
Check if a Tree is “Ensure height difference Balanced Use recursive height
Balanced between left & right BST calculation.
subtrees is ≤1.”
Convert Sorted Array “Convert a sorted BST Use recursive
to BST list/array into a height- midpoint selection.
balanced BST.”
Find Kth “Find the k-th BST Use inorder traversal
Smallest/Largest smallest/largest element (sorted order).
Element in a BST.”
Check if a Tree is BST “Check if a binary tree BST Use inorder traversal
follows BST rules.” (must be sorted).
Serialize & Deserialize “Convert a tree to a Binary Use BFS or DFS
a Tree string and back to a tree.” Tree encoding.
Count Good Nodes “Find nodes greater than Binary Use DFS with max
or equal to all ancestors.” Tree ancestor tracking.

4️⃣ Example 1: Tree Traversal (Preorder, Inorder, Postorder, Level Order BFS)
Problem Statement:

Given a binary tree, print the Preorder, Inorder, Postorder, and Level Order traversals.

Tree Traversal Approaches:

1️⃣ Preorder (Root → Left → Right)

2️⃣ Inorder (Left → Root → Right)
3️⃣ Postorder (Left → Right → Root)
4️⃣ Level Order (BFS - Level by Level)
class TreeNode:
def __init__(self, val=0, left=None, right=None):
self.val = val
self.left = left
self.right = right

# Preorder Traversal
def preorder(root):
return [root.val] + preorder(root.left) + preorder(root.right) if root
else []

# Inorder Traversal
def inorder(root):
return inorder(root.left) + [root.val] + inorder(root.right) if root
else []

# Postorder Traversal
def postorder(root):
return postorder(root.left) + postorder(root.right) + [root.val] if root
else []

# Level Order Traversal (BFS)

from collections import deque
def level_order(root):
if not root: return []
queue, res = deque([root]), []
while queue:
node = queue.popleft()
res.append(node.val)
if node.left: queue.append(node.left)
if node.right: queue.append(node.right)
return res

✅ Time Complexity: O(n) (All traversals visit each node once).

5️⃣ Example 2: Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA) in a Binary Tree
Problem Statement:

Given a binary tree, find the Lowest Common Ancestor (LCA) of two nodes.

Identification:

✅ The problem involves parent-child relationships → Binary Tree

✅ Requires checking multiple ancestors → Recursive traversal
def lowest_common_ancestor(root, p, q):
if not root or root == p or root == q:
return root # If found p or q, return current node

left = lowest_common_ancestor(root.left, p, q)
right = lowest_common_ancestor(root.right, p, q)

if left and right:

return root # If p and q are found in left and right subtrees, root
is LCA
return left or right # Return the non-null subtree

✅ Time Complexity: O(n) (Traverses each node once).

6️⃣ Example 3: Convert Sorted Array to a Balanced BST
Problem Statement:

Given a sorted array, construct a height-balanced BST.

Identification:

✅ The problem asks for a BST → Binary Search Tree (BST)

✅ Requires maintaining balance → Use recursion & midpoint selection
def sorted_array_to_bst(nums):
if not nums:
return None

mid = len(nums) // 2
root = TreeNode(nums[mid])
root.left = sorted_array_to_bst(nums[:mid])
 root.right = sorted_array_to_bst(nums[mid+1:])

return root

✅ Time Complexity: O(n)

✅ Why It Works? Splitting at mid keeps the tree balanced.
7️⃣ When NOT to Use a Binary Tree?
🚫 If the problem does not require hierarchical relationships.
🚫 If a simpler data structure (array, stack, queue, hash table) is sufficient.
🚫 If dynamic programming or graph traversal is a better fit.
Example: If searching is the only requirement in unsorted data, a hash map (O(1) lookup)
is better than a BST (O(log n)).

8️⃣ Final Checklist: Is It a Binary Tree Problem?

✅ Does the problem involve a hierarchical relationship?
✅ Does it require parent-child traversal or recursive properties?
✅ Does it ask for ordering, searching, or structure-based traversal?
✅ Does the problem mention depth, height, LCA, or balance?
If YES, then a Binary Tree is the right approach! 🚀

Would you like help with a specific Binary Tree problem? 😊