Consider the following binary search tree diagram: If node M is to be removed, which action should be taken?
A) Replace M with the smallest value in its left subtree.
B) Replace M with the smallest value in its right subtree.
C) Replace M with the largest value in its left subtree.
D) Replace M with the largest value in its right subtree.

Question

Consider the following binary search tree diagram:  If node M is to be removed, which action should be taken?
A) Replace M with the smallest value in its left subtree. 
B) Replace M with the smallest value in its right subtree. 
C) Replace M with the largest value in its left subtree. 
D) Replace M with the largest value in its right subtree.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In a binary search tree, if a node has two child nodes, it cannot be removed directly since it would affect the structure of the tree. One way to remove a node is to replace it with the smallest value in its right subtree since this value is larger than all the values in the left subtree but smaller than all the values in the right subtree, maintaining the ordering property of the binary search tree. Therefore, the best choice is to replace M with the smallest value in its right subtree, which is node P in this case.

Consider the Following Binary Search Tree Diagram: If Node