Bottom View of Binary Tree in DSA C# - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is the bottom view of a binary tree?

The bottom view of a binary tree is the set of nodes visible when the tree is seen from the bottom. It shows the last node at each horizontal distance from the root.

beginner

How do we assign horizontal distances to nodes in a binary tree for bottom view?

The root node is assigned horizontal distance 0. For any node, its left child has horizontal distance -1 from it, and its right child has horizontal distance +1 from it.

intermediate

Which data structure is commonly used to track nodes and their horizontal distances in bottom view calculation?

A queue is used for level order traversal, and a dictionary (or map) stores the latest node at each horizontal distance.

intermediate

Why does the bottom view use level order traversal instead of inorder or preorder?

Level order traversal processes nodes level by level, ensuring the bottom-most node at each horizontal distance overwrites previous nodes, giving the correct bottom view.

advanced

In the bottom view, what happens if two nodes share the same horizontal distance and level?

The node encountered later in level order traversal replaces the previous node in the bottom view for that horizontal distance.

What horizontal distance is assigned to the root node in bottom view calculation?

A 1

B 0

C -1

D Depends on tree height

The root node is always assigned horizontal distance 0.

Which traversal method is best suited for computing the bottom view of a binary tree?

A Level order traversal

B Inorder traversal

C Preorder traversal

D Postorder traversal

Level order traversal processes nodes level by level, which helps identify the bottom-most nodes.

What data structure helps keep track of the latest node at each horizontal distance?

A Dictionary/Map

B Stack

C Queue

D Linked List

A dictionary or map stores the latest node for each horizontal distance.

If two nodes have the same horizontal distance but different levels, which node appears in the bottom view?

A The node at the higher level

B The rightmost node

C The node at the lower level

D The leftmost node

The node at the lower level (closer to the bottom) appears in the bottom view.

What is the output format of the bottom view of a binary tree?

A Nodes in preorder sequence

B Nodes in inorder sequence

C Nodes sorted by level order

D Nodes sorted by horizontal distance from left to right

Bottom view nodes are printed sorted by their horizontal distance from left to right.

Explain how to compute the bottom view of a binary tree step-by-step.

Think about how horizontal distance and level order traversal work together.

Describe why level order traversal is important for the bottom view compared to other traversals.

Consider how node order affects which nodes appear in the bottom view.

Practice

1. What does the bottom view of a binary tree represent?

easy

A. The nodes visible when the tree is viewed from the right side

B. The nodes visible when the tree is viewed from the top

C. The nodes visible when the tree is viewed from the left side

D. The nodes visible when the tree is viewed from the bottom

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the bottom view concept

   The bottom view shows nodes visible when looking at the tree from below, meaning the lowest nodes at each horizontal distance.

2. Step 2: Compare with other views

   Top view shows nodes from above, left and right views show nodes from sides, so bottom view is unique for bottom perspective.

3. Final Answer:

   The nodes visible when the tree is viewed from the bottom -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Bottom view = nodes visible from below [OK]

Hint: Bottom view shows lowest nodes at each horizontal distance [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing bottom view with top view
• Thinking bottom view shows all leaf nodes
• Mixing bottom view with side views

2. Which C# data structure is best suited to store nodes by their horizontal distance when computing the bottom view of a binary tree?

easy

A. Dictionary

B. List<int>

C. Stack<int>

D. Queue<int>

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the need to map horizontal distance to node value

   We need a structure to store nodes keyed by their horizontal distance for quick updates and lookups.

2. Step 2: Choose the appropriate data structure

   A Dictionary allows mapping horizontal distance (int) to node value (int) efficiently.

3. Final Answer:

   Dictionary<int, int> -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use Dictionary for horizontal distance mapping [OK]

Hint: Use Dictionary to map horizontal distance to node value [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using List which doesn't map keys to values
• Using Stack or Queue which are not key-value stores
• Confusing data structure roles

3. Consider the following binary tree:

        20
       /  \
     8     22
    / \      \
   5   3      25
      /  \
     10   14

What is the bottom view of this tree?

medium

A. [5, 10, 3, 22, 25]

B. [5, 8, 10, 14, 25]

C. [5, 10, 3, 14, 25]

D. [8, 10, 3, 14, 22]

Solution

1. Step 1: Assign horizontal distances and track bottom nodes

   Assign horizontal distances (HD) starting from root (20) at HD=0: - 20(0), 8(-1), 22(1), 5(-2), 3(0), 25(2), 10(-1), 14(1) For each HD, the bottom-most node is: HD -2: 5 HD -1: 10 (overwrites 8) HD 0: 3 (overwrites 20) HD 1: 14 (overwrites 22) HD 2: 25

2. Step 2: Collect bottom view nodes in order of HD

   Order HD from left to right: -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 Bottom view nodes: [5, 10, 3, 14, 25]

3. Final Answer:

   [5, 10, 3, 14, 25] -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Bottom view nodes by HD = [5,10,3,14,25] [OK]

Hint: Track horizontal distance and overwrite with lower nodes [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not updating nodes at same horizontal distance
• Confusing top view with bottom view
• Ignoring horizontal distance ordering

4. The following C# code attempts to compute the bottom view of a binary tree but has a bug. What is the error?

void BottomView(Node root) {
    if (root == null) return;
    var map = new Dictionary();
    var queue = new Queue<(Node node, int hd)>();
    queue.Enqueue((root, 0));
    while (queue.Count > 0) {
        var (node, hd) = queue.Dequeue();
        if (!map.ContainsKey(hd)) {
            map[hd] = node.data;
        }
        if (node.left != null) queue.Enqueue((node.left, hd - 1));
        if (node.right != null) queue.Enqueue((node.right, hd + 1));
    }
    foreach (var key in map.Keys.OrderBy(k => k)) {
        Console.Write(map[key] + " ");
    }
}

medium

A. It does not enqueue the root node

B. It only stores the first node at each horizontal distance, not the bottom-most

C. It uses a queue instead of a stack

D. It does not order the keys before printing

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze how nodes are stored in the map

   The code adds node data to map only if the horizontal distance key is not present, so it keeps the first node encountered at that HD.

2. Step 2: Understand bottom view requires last node at each HD

   Bottom view needs the lowest node at each HD, so the map should update the value every time a node at the same HD is found, not only the first.

3. Final Answer:

   It only stores the first node at each horizontal distance, not the bottom-most -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Bottom view needs last node per HD, not first [OK]

Hint: Update map value for each node at HD to get bottom view [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using if (!map.ContainsKey) instead of always updating
• Ignoring horizontal distance updates
• Not ordering keys before printing (though code does)

5. You are given a binary tree where multiple nodes share the same horizontal distance and depth. How would you modify the bottom view algorithm to always show the node with the greatest depth at each horizontal distance?

hard

A. Store pairs of (node value, depth) in the map and update only if new node's depth is greater

B. Store only node values and update map only if node value is greater

C. Use a stack instead of a queue to traverse nodes

D. Ignore depth and just print nodes in level order

Solution

1. Step 1: Recognize the need to track depth with node values

   To ensure the bottom view shows the node with greatest depth at each horizontal distance, we must store depth along with node value.

2. Step 2: Update map only if new node's depth is greater

   When visiting a node, compare its depth with stored depth for that horizontal distance; update only if current node is deeper.

3. Final Answer:

   Store pairs of (node value, depth) in the map and update only if new node's depth is greater -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Track depth and update map for deeper nodes [OK]

Hint: Keep depth info and update map only if deeper node found [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring depth and overwriting incorrectly
• Comparing node values instead of depths
• Changing traversal order without depth tracking