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Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns in C++

Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

Explore how to determine the maximum depth of a binary tree by applying depth-first search (DFS) traversal. Understand the process of finding the longest path from the root to the farthest leaf node in the tree. This lesson helps you develop problem-solving skills in tree algorithms, assess node relationships, and implement an optimal O(n) time complexity solution to analyze binary trees effectively.

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Statement

You are given the root of a binary tree, and your task is to determine the maximum depth of this tree. The maximum depth of a binary tree is determined by the count of nodes found on the longest pathway from the root node to the farthest leaf node.

Constraints:

  • The number of nodes in the tree is in the range [1,500].[1, 500].

  • −100≤-100 \leqNode.data ≤100\leq 100

Examples

Understand the problem

Let’s take a moment to make sure you’ve correctly understood the problem. The quiz below helps you check if you’re solving the correct problem:

Maximum Depth of Binary Tree

1.

What is the maximum depth of the following tree?

root = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

     1
    / \
   2   3
  / \ 
 4   5
A.

7

B.

3

C.

2

D.

4

1 / 3

Figure it out!

We have a game for you to play. Rearrange the logical building blocks to develop a clearer understanding of how to solve this problem.

Note: As an additional challenge, we have intentionally hidden the solution to this puzzle.

Sequence - Vertical
Drag and drop the cards to rearrange them in the correct sequence.
1
2
3
4
5

Try it yourself

Implement your solution in the following coding playground.

We have left the solution to this challenge as an exercise for you. The optimal solution to this problem runs in O(n) time and takes O(n) space. You may try to translate the logic of the solved puzzle into a coded solution.

C++
usercode > main.cpp
// Definition for a binary tree node

// template<class T>

// class TreeNode {

// public:

//     T data;

//     TreeNode<T>* left;

//     TreeNode<T>* right;



//     TreeNode(const T data) : data(data), left(nullptr), right(nullptr) {}

// };



int FindMaxDepth(TreeNode<int>* root){

      

  // Replace this placeholder return statement with your code

  return -1;

}
Maximum Depth of a Binary Tree