SPECIAL LECTURE ON

RED – BLACK TREES

Handledby:
Mrs. S. CHITRA, AP/AI&ML
 Red-Black Trees
 Definition: a binary search tree with nodes colored red and
black such that:
 the paths from the root to any leaf have the same
number of black nodes,
 there are no two consecutive red nodes, If a node is red,
then both of its children are black
 the root is black.
 The height of red-black tree
Definition: The black-height of a node, x, in a red-black tree is the
number of black nodes on any path to a leaf, not counting x.

Black-Height of the root = 2

Black-Height of the root = 3
 Height-balanced trees
We have to maintain the following balancedness property.
Each path from the root to a leaf contains the same number of black nodes

bh =2
7

bh =1 3 18 bh =2

bh =1 10 22 bh =1

bh =1 8 11 26 bh =1
* We have 3 cases for insertion

Case 1: Recolor (uncle is red)

G G

P U P U
 Case 2:
Double Rotate: X around P then X around G.
Recolor G and X

G X

P P
U G

X
S
U
S
 Case 3:
Single Rotate P around G
Recolor P and G

P
P U

X
G
S
X

S U
 Analysis of Insertion
- A red-black tree has O(log n) height
- Search for insertion location takes O(log n) time because we
visit O(log n) nodes
- Addition to the node takes O(1) time
- Rotation or recoloring takes O(log n) time because we
perform
* O(log n) recoloring, each taking O(1) time, and
* at most one rotation taking O(1) time
- Thus, an insertion in a red-black tree takes O(log n) time
• Deleting a node from a red-black tree is a bit more
complicated than inserting a node.

- If the node is red?

Not a problem – no RB properties violated

- If the node is black?

deleting it will change the black-height along some path
* We have some cases for deletion

delete
U S

Case A:
- V’s sibling, S, is Red
Rotate S around P and recolor S & P
 S
P
Rotate S around P
P
V S

S
Recolor S &
P
P

V
 P

delete S
U

Case B:
- V’s sibling, S, is black and has two black children.
Recolor S to be Red

Red or Black and don’t care

 Recolor S to be Red
P P

S V S
V
 P

delete S
U

Case C:
- S is black
S’s RIGHT child is RED (Left child either color)
Rotate S around P
Swap colors of S and P, and color S’s Right child Black
 S
P
Rotate S around P
P
S
V

P
Recolor: Swap colors of S and P,
and color S’s Right child Black
V
 P

delete S
U

Case D:
- S is Black, S’s right child is Black and S’s left child is Red
i) Rotate S’s left child around S
ii) Swap color of S and S’s left child
 P

P
S
V

V
P
S
Rotate S’s
left child
V
around S
S
Recolor: Swap color
of S and S’s left
child
 Analysis of deletion

- A red-black tree has O(log n) height

- Search for deletion location takes O(log n) time
- The swaping and deletion is O(1).
- Each rotation or recoloring is O(1).
- Thus, the deletion in a red-black tree takes O(log n) time
RED BLACK TREES

 Top-Down Insertion
Review of Bottom-Up
Insertion
In B-Up insertion, “ordinary” BST insertion was used, followed by
correction of the tree on the way back up to the root
This is most easily done recursively
◦ Insert winds up the recursion on the way down the tree to the insertion
point
◦ Fixing the tree occurs as the recursion unwinds
Top-Down Insertion Strategy
In T-Down insertion, the corrections are done while traversing down the
tree to the insertion point.
When the actual insertion is done, no further corrections are needed,
so no need to traverse back up the tree.
So, T-Down insertion can be done iteratively which is generally faster
 Goal of T-D Insertion
 Insertion is always done as a leaf (as in ordinary BST
insertion)
 Recall from the B-Up flow chart that if the uncle of a newly
inserted node is black, we restore the RB tree properties
by one or two local rotations and recoloring – we do not
need to make changes further up the tree
 Goal (2)
 Therefore, the goal of T-D insertion is to traverse from the
root to the insertion point in such a way that RB properties
are maintained, and at the insertion point, the uncle is
Black.

 That way we may have to rotate and recolor, but not

propagate back up the tree
Possible insertion configurations

X (Red or Black)

Y Z

If a new node is inserted as a child of Y or Z, there is no

problem since the new node’s parent is black
Possible insertion configurations

Y Z

If new node is child of Z, no problem since Z is black.

If new node is child of Y, no problem since the new node’s
uncle (Z) is black – do a few rotations and recolor…. done
Possible insertion
configurations
X

Y Z

If new node is inserted as child of Y or Z, it’s uncle will be

red and we will have to go back up the tree. This is the
only case we need to avoid.
 Top-Down Traversal
As we traverse down the tree and
X encounter this case, we recolor and
possible do some rotations.
Y Z
There are 3 cases.

Remember the goal – to create an insertion point at which the

parent of the new node is Black, or the uncle of the new node
is black.
 Case 1 – X’s Parent is Black

P P

X X
Y Z Y Z

Just recolor and continue down the tree

Case 2
X’s Parent is Red (so Grandparent is Black) and X and P are both left/right
children
◦ Rotate P around G
◦ Color P black
◦ Color G red

Note that X’s uncle, U, must be black because it (a) was initially black, or
(b) would have been made black when we encountered G (which would
have had two red children -- X’s Parent and X’s uncle)
 Case 2 diagrams
G P
P U
G
X
X S Z
Y Z Y S U

Rotate P around G. Recolor X, Y, Z, P and G

 Case 3
• X’s Parent is Red (so Grandparent is Black)
and X and P are opposite children
– Rotate P around G
– Color P black
– Color G red
• Again note that X’s uncle, U, must be black
because it (a) was initially black, or (b)
would have been made black when we
encountered G (which would have had two
red children -- X’s Parent and X’s uncle)
 Case 3 Diagrams (1 of 2)
G G
X U
P U

S X P Z
S Y
Y Z

Step 1 – recolor X, Y and Z. Rotate X around P.

 Case 3 Diagrams (2 of 2)
G X

X U G
P

P Z
S Y Z U
S Y

Step 2 – Rotate X around G. Recolor X and G

 Top-Down Insert Summary
Case 1 Recolor
P is Black X,Y,Z
P P
Just Recolor
X X

Y Z Y Z

Case 2
P is Red
G G Rotate P P
X & P both left/right
Recolor around G G
X,Y,Z Recolor P,G X
P P
Y Z
X X

Y Z Y Z

Case 3 G G X
P is Red Recolor X,Y,Z Rotate X G
X and P are Rotate X X around G P
P
opposite children around P Recolor X, G
P
X
Y Z Y Z
Y Z
36
37
38
39
Another Example

40
41
85

42
85

43
44
45
46
47
48
RED BLACK TREES

Top-Down Deletion
Recall the rules for BST
deletion
1. If a node to be deleted is a leaf, just delete it.
2. If a node to be deleted has just one child, replace it with that child
3. If a node to be deleted has two children, replace the value of by
it’s in-order predecessor’s value then delete the in-order
predecessor (a recursive step)
What can go wrong?
1. If the delete node is red?

Not a problem – no RB properties violated

2. If the deleted node is black?

If the node is not the root, deleting it will change the black-height
along some path
Terminology
Matching Weiss text section 12.2
◦ X is the node being examined
◦ T is X’s sibling
◦ P is X’s (and T’s) parent
◦ R is T’s right child
◦ L is T’s left child.
Basic Strategy
As we traverse the tree, we change every node we visit, X, to Red.
When we change X to Red, we know
◦ P is also Red (we just came from there)
◦ T is black (since P is Red, it’s children are Black)
Step 1 – Examine the root
1. If both of the root’s children are Black
a. Make the root Red
b. Move X to the appropriate child of the root
c. Proceed to step 2

2. Otherwise designate the root as X and proceed to step 2B.

 Step 2 – the main case
As we traverse down the tree, we continually encounter this situation until
we reach the node to be deleted
X is Black, P is Red, T is Black

We are going to color X Red, then recolor other nodes and possibly do
rotation(s) based on the color of X’s and T’s children
2A. X has 2 Black children
2B. X has at least one Red child
Case 2A
X has two Black Children
2A1. T has 2 Black Children
P 2A2. T’s left child is Red
X T
2A3. T’s right child is Red

** if both of T’s children are Red,

we can do either 2A2 or 2A3
Case 2A1
X and T have 2 Black Children

P P
X T X T

Just recolor X, P and T and move down the tree

Case 2A2
X has 2 Black Children and T’s Left Child is Red
Rotate L around T, then L around P
Recolor X and P then continue down the tree
L
P
P T
X T
L
X L1 L2

L1 L2
 Case 2A3
X has 2 Black Children and T’s Right Child is Red
Rotate T around P
Recolor X, P, T and R then continue down the tree

T
P
X T P R
R
X R1 R2
L L
R1 R2
Case 2B
X has at least one Red child
Continue down the tree to the next level
If the new X is Red, continue down again
If the new X is Black (T is Red, P is Black)
Rotate T around P
Recolor P and T
Back to main case – step 2
 Case 2B Diagram
P
X T

Move down the tree.

P P
X T T X

If move to Black child (2B2) If move to the Red child (2B1)

Rotate T around P; Recolor P and T Move down again
Back to step 2, the main case
 Step 3
Eventually, find the node to be deleted – a leaf or a node with
one non-null child that is a leaf.
Delete the appropriate node as a Red leaf

Step 4
Color the Root Black
Example 1
Delete 10 from this RB Tree
15

6 17

12 20
3 16

10 13 18 23

Step 1 – Root has 2 Black children. Color Root Red

Descend the tree, moving X to 6
Example 1 (cont’d)
15

X 6 17

12 20
3 16

10 13 18 23

One of X’s children is Red (case 2B). Descend down the

tree, arriving at 12. Since the new X (12) is also Red (2B1),
continue down the tree, arriving at 10.
 Example 1 (cont’d)
15

6 17

12 20
3 16

10 13 18 23
X
7

Step 3 -Since 10 is the node to be deleted, replace it’s value

with the value of it’s only child (7) and delete 7’s red node
 Example 1 (cont’d)
15

6 17

12 20
3 16

7 13 18 23

The final tree after 7 has replaced 10 and 7’s red node
deleted and (step 4) the root has been colored Black.
 Trees with Constant Update
Time at a Known Location
The insertion and deletion operations, along with the tree rearrangement
and recoloring, are performed in O(log n) time.
insertion will take O(1), if the location is already known.

67
 Finger Trees and Level Linking

The idea of finger trees is that searching for an element

should be faster if the position of a nearby element is
known. This nearby element is known as the “finger.” The
search time should not depend on the total size of the
underlying set S, but only on the neighborhood or distance
from the finger f to the element q that is searched.
 The finger search method

A finger search method could have the following outline: go

from the finger leaf several levels up, move in the list of nodes
at level i in the right direction till the subtree with the query
element is found, and then go down in the tree again to the
query element
- The paths from the root to the leaves have different lengths

* We need to maintain two conditions:

1. within each level, the intervals associated with the nodes form
a partition
of ]−∞,∞[
2. along each path from the root to a leaf, the number of nodes
between two
nodes of consecutive levels is bounded by a constant C.
 2-3 tree of integers

To make it a finger tree, what you do, in theory, is reach down to the
leftmost and rightmost internal nodes of the tree – in our case, the parents
of (1,2) and (8, 9, 10). Then you pick up the tree by those two nodes, and let
the rest dangle down.
If you look at this, you’ve got a finger for the node (1,2), and a finger for the node
(8,9,10). In between them, you’ve got a bunch of stuff dangling. But if you look at
the dangling stuff: it’s a finger tree.