Splay Tree
A splay tree is a self-adjusting binary search tree data structure that performs basic operations like insertion, deletion, and search with amortized O(log n) time complexity. It automatically reorganizes itself by moving recently accessed nodes closer to the root through a process called 'splaying', which uses rotations to improve future access times. This makes it particularly efficient for scenarios where certain elements are accessed more frequently than others.
Developers should learn about splay trees when implementing caching systems, network routers, or any application with locality of reference, as they optimize for repeated access to the same data. They are useful in scenarios where a simple binary search tree might degrade to O(n) performance, as splay trees provide guaranteed amortized logarithmic time without requiring extra storage like AVL or red-black trees. However, they are less predictable in worst-case scenarios compared to balanced trees, so they're best suited for applications where average performance matters more than strict worst-case bounds.