Trees
A tree is a hierarchical data structure in computer science that consists of nodes connected by edges, with a single root node at the top and leaf nodes at the bottom. It is used to represent hierarchical relationships, such as file systems, organizational charts, or decision-making processes, and supports efficient operations like searching, insertion, and deletion in various applications.
Developers should learn trees to handle data that requires hierarchical organization, such as in databases for indexing (e.g., B-trees), algorithms for efficient searching (e.g., binary search trees), or parsing expressions in compilers. They are essential for optimizing performance in scenarios like network routing, game AI, and machine learning decision trees, where structured data access is critical.