Tree Traversal

1
 Tree Traversal

• There are three common ways to traverse a tree:

– Preorder: Visit the root, traverse the left subtree
(preorder) and then traverse the right subtree (preorder)
– Postorder: Traverse the left subtree (postorder),
traverse the right subtree (postorder) and then visit the
root.
– Inorder: Traverse the left subtree (in order), visit the
root and the traverse the right subtree (in order).
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDECFG
Postorder: DEBGFCA G
In Order: DBEAFGC
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: A
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: AB
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABD
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDE
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDEC
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDECF
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDECFG
(visit each node as your reach it) G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder:
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder:
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: D
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DE
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEB
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEB
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEB
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEBG
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEBGF
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEBGFC
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Postorder: DEBGFCA
G
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order:
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order:
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: D
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DB
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBE
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBEA
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBEA
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBEAF
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBEAFG
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

G
In Order: DBEAFGC
 Tree Traversals: An Example
A

B C

D E F

Preorder: ABDECFG
Postorder: DEBGFCA G
In Order: DBEAFGC
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHIECG
Postorder: HIFDEBGCA
H I In Order: DHFIBEACG
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: A

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: AB

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABD

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDF

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFH

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHI

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHIE

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHIEC

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHIECG

H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder:
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder:
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder:
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder:
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: H
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HI
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIF
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFD
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDE
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDEB
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDEB
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDEBG
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDEBGC
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

Postorder: HIFDEBGCA
H I
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order:
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order:
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: D
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: D
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DH
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHF
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFI
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFIB
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFIBE
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFIBEA
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFIBEAC
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

H I In Order: DHFIBEACG
Tree Traversals: Another Example
A

B C

D E
G

F
Preorder: ABDFHIECG
Postorder: HIFDEBGCA
H I In Order: DHFIBEACG
 Tree Anatomy
The children of a node are, themselves, trees, called subtrees.

Root
Level 0 R

Level 1 S T Internal Node

Level 2 X U V W
Leaf
Level 3 Y Z
Child of X

Subtree
Parent of Z and Y
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 Tree Traversals
• One of the most common operations
performed on trees, are a tree traversals
• A traversal starts at the root of the tree and
visits every node in the tree exactly once
– visit means to process the data in the node
• Traversals are either depth-first or breadth-
first

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 Breadth First Traversals
• All the nodes in one 7
level are visited
• Followed by the nodes 6 10
the at next level
• Beginning at the root 4 8 13
• For the sample tree 3 5
– 7, 6, 10, 4, 8, 13, 3, 5

72
Queue and stack
• A queue is a sequence of elements
such that each new element is added
(enqueued) to one end, called the
back of the queue, and an element is
removed (dequeued) from the other
end, called the front

• A stack is a sequence of elements

such that each new element is added
(or pushed) onto one end, called the
top, and an element is removed
(popped) from the same end
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 Breadth first tree traversal with a queue
• Enqueue root
• While queue is not empty
– Dequeue a vertex and write it to the output list
– Enqueue its children left-to-right

 
Step Output Queue

   


        

  

  

    

  

  74

Depth-First Traversals

75
 Pre-order Traversal: VLR
• Visit the node 7
• Do a pre-order
traversal of the left 6 10
subtree
• Finish with a pre-order 4 8 13
traversal of the right 3 5
subtree
• For the sample tree
– 7, 6, 4, 3, 5, 10, 8, 13
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 Pre-order tree traversal with a stack
• Push root onto the stack
• While stack is not empty
– Pop a vertex off stack, and write it to the output list
– Push its children right-to-left onto stack

 
Step Output Stack

   


        

  

  

    

  

  77

 Representing Arithmetic
Expressions
• Complicated arithmetic expressions can be
represented by an ordered rooted tree
– Internal vertices represent operators
– Leaves represent operands
• Build the tree bottom-up
– Construct smaller subtrees
– Incorporate the smaller subtrees as part of larger
subtrees
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 Example
(x+y)2 + (x-3)/(y+2)

+
 /

+ 2 – +

x y x 3 y 2
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 Infix Notation
• Traverse in inorder (LVR) adding parentheses for
each operation
+
 /

+ 2 – +

x y x 3 y 2
( ((x + y )  2 ) +( ( x – 3 ) / ( y + 2 ) ) )
80
 Prefix Notation
(Polish Notation)
• Traverse in preorder (VLR)

+
 /

+ 2 – +

x y x 3 y 2

+  + x y 2 / – x 3 + y 2
81
 Evaluating Prefix Notation

• In an prefix expression, a binary operator

precedes its two operands
• The expression is evaluated right-left
• Look for the first operator from the right
• Evaluate the operator with the two operands
immediately to its right

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 Example
+ / + 2 2 2 / – 3 2 + 1 0

+ / + 2 2 2 / – 3 2 1
+ / + 2 2 2 / 1 1

+ / + 2 2 2 1
+ / 4 2 1
+ 2 1
3 83
 Postfix Notation
(Reverse Polish)
• Traverse in postorder (LRV)

+
 /

+ 2 – +

x y x 3 y 2

x y + 2  x 3 – y 2 + /+
84
 Evaluating Postfix Notation

• In an postfix expression, a binary operator

follows its two operands
• The expression is evaluated left-right
• Look for the first operator from the left
• Evaluate the operator with the two operands
immediately to its left

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 Example
2 2 + 2 / 3 2 – 1 0 + / +
4 2 / 3 2 – 1 0 + / +

2 3 2 – 1 0 + / +
2 1 1 0 + / +
2 1 1 / +
2 1 +
3
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