https://algorithmsin60days.com/tags/priority-queue/Recent content in Priority-Queue on Algorithms in 60 DaysHugoen-usFri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://algorithmsin60days.com/topics/heaps/Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://algorithmsin60days.com/topics/heaps/<p>A heap is a complete binary tree with a simple ordering rule: in a <strong>min-heap</strong>, every parent is smaller than or equal to its children, so the smallest element is always at the root. (A <strong>max-heap</strong> flips the comparison.) The heap does not fully sort its elements; it only guarantees the extreme value sits on top, which is exactly what you need for a priority queue.</p> <h2 id="why-heaps-matter">Why Heaps Matter<a class="header-anchor" href="#why-heaps-matter" aria-label="Permalink to this heading">#</a></h2> <p>Whenever a problem asks for the &ldquo;top k&rdquo;, the &ldquo;kth largest&rdquo;, the &ldquo;next smallest&rdquo;, or &ldquo;process the cheapest item next&rdquo;, a heap is usually the answer. Dijkstra&rsquo;s shortest-path algorithm, Huffman coding, merge-k-sorted-lists, and median-of-a-stream all lean on heaps. The heap gives you repeated access to the min or max without paying O(n log n) to fully sort.</p>