Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

Category

Binary Tree - DFS

Checkbox

Difficulty

Easy

Index

Key Ideas

The key idea to solve this problem is to perform a depth-first search (DFS) traversal of the binary tree, keeping track of the maximum depth encountered along the way.

Problem Number

104

Problem Summary

The Maximum Depth of Binary Tree problem, also known as Problem Number 104 on LeetCode, is an easy-level problem in the category of Binary Tree - DFS. The problem asks to find the maximum depth of a binary tree, which is the number of nodes along the longest path from the root to any leaf node. Some key pitfalls to watch out for include handling empty trees, correctly calculating the depth during the recursive traversal, and considering both left and right subtrees when determining the maximum depth.

Solution Summary

The best solution to solve the "Maximum Depth of Binary Tree" problem is to use a depth-first search (DFS) algorithm. This algorithm recursively explores the binary tree, keeping track of the maximum depth encountered. It starts with the root node and traverses down to the leaf nodes, updating the maximum depth along the way. By comparing the depth of the left and right subtrees at each node, the algorithm determines the maximum depth of the entire tree. This approach has a time complexity of O(N), where N is the number of nodes in the tree, as it visits each node exactly once.