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Achieving a uniform interface for binary tree implementations

Published:15 March 1995Publication History
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Abstract

One of the basic principles taught in a data structures course is that an application program should be independent of the implementation of any particular data structure it uses. This policy breaks down when binary trees are introduced, because the interfaces for the various representations of binary trees are not uniform. In particular, implementing a binary tree by using an implicit array generally requires the array itself to be passed as a parameter to any function that manipulates the tree. In this paper we present an approach for defining the implicit array representation of a binary tree. Our definition makes the underlying array transparent to the user. This allows us to describe a uniform interface for a binary tree module that can be used by an application program regardless of the particular implementation of the tree.

References

  1. 1 Horowitz, E., Sahni, S. and Anderson-Freed, S., Fundamentals of Data Structures in C, Computer Science Press, New York, 1993. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  2. 2 Kingston. J.H. Algorithms and Data Structures: Design, Correctness, Analysis, Addison-Wesley, Reading~ Mass., 1990. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  3. 3 Tenenbaum, A.M., Langsmn, Y. and Augenstein, M.J., Data Structures Using C, Prentice Hail, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1990. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  4. 4 Weiss, M.A., Data Structures and Algorithm Analysis in C, Benjamin Cummings, Menlo Park, Ca., 1993. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library

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  1. Achieving a uniform interface for binary tree implementations

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        • Published in

          cover image ACM SIGCSE Bulletin
          ACM SIGCSE Bulletin  Volume 27, Issue 1
          March 1995
          402 pages
          ISSN:0097-8418
          DOI:10.1145/199691
          Issue’s Table of Contents
          • cover image ACM Conferences
            SIGCSE '95: Proceedings of the twenty-sixth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
            March 1995
            436 pages
            ISBN:089791693X
            DOI:10.1145/199688
            • Chairman:
            • Cary Laxer,
            • Editors:
            • Curt M. White,
            • James E. Miller,
            • Judy Gersting

          Copyright © 1995 ACM

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          Association for Computing Machinery

          New York, NY, United States

          Publication History

          • Published: 15 March 1995

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