If you have a priority queue implemented as a binary heap, what is the time comp
Practice Questions
Q1
If you have a priority queue implemented as a binary heap, what is the time complexity of finding the k-th smallest element?
O(k log n)
O(n)
O(k)
O(log n)
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If you have a priority queue implemented as a binary heap, what is the time complexity of finding the k-th smallest element?
Step 1: Understand what a priority queue is. A priority queue is a data structure that allows you to efficiently retrieve the smallest (or largest) element.
Step 2: Know that a binary heap is a common way to implement a priority queue. In a binary heap, the smallest element can be found at the top.
Step 3: To find the k-th smallest element, you need to remove the smallest element from the priority queue k times.
Step 4: Each time you remove the smallest element, it takes O(log n) time because the heap needs to reorganize itself.
Step 5: Since you are removing the smallest element k times, you multiply the time for one removal by k, resulting in O(k log n) time complexity.
