LeetCode 783: Minimum Distance Between BST Nodes Solution

Master LeetCode problem 783 (Minimum Distance Between BST Nodes), a easy challenge, with our optimized solutions in Java, C++, and Python. Explore detailed explanations, test your code in our interactive editor, and prepare for coding interviews.

783. Minimum Distance Between BST Nodes

Easy

Tree Depth-First Search Breadth-First Search Binary Search Tree Binary Tree

Problem Explanation

Explanation

To find the minimum difference between values of any two different nodes in a BST, we can perform an in-order traversal of the tree and keep track of the previous node's value. As we traverse the tree in-order, we compare the current node's value with the previous node's value and calculate the minimum difference. We update the minimum difference whenever we find a smaller one.

Algorithm:

Perform an in-order traversal of the BST.
Keep track of the previous node's value.
Calculate the difference between the current node's value and the previous node's value.
Update the minimum difference if a smaller difference is found.

Time complexity: O(n) where n is the number of nodes in the BST.
Space complexity: O(h) where h is the height of the BST.

Solution Code

class Solution {
    Integer prev;
    int minDiff = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
    
    public int minDiffInBST(TreeNode root) {
        inorder(root);
        return minDiff;
    }
    
    private void inorder(TreeNode node) {
        if (node == null) return;
        
        inorder(node.left);
        
        if (prev != null) {
            minDiff = Math.min(minDiff, node.val - prev);
        }
        prev = node.val;
        
        inorder(node.right);
    }
}

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