Solution: Lowest Common Ancestor of a Binary Tree III
Understand how to find the lowest common ancestor of two nodes in a binary tree by using two pointers that traverse parent links. Learn a method that handles different node depths efficiently by switching starting points, ensuring both pointers travel equal distances. This solution runs in linear time relative to the tree height and uses constant extra space.
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Statement
You are given two nodes, p and q. The task is to return their lowest common ancestor (LCA). Both nodes have a reference to their parent node. The tree’s root is not provided; you must use the parent pointers to find the nodes’ common ancestor.
Note: The lowest common ancestor of two nodes,
pandq, is the lowest node in the binary tree, with bothpandqas descendants.In a tree, a descendant of a node is any node reachable by following edges downward from that node, including the node itself. ...