Fenwick Tree

on July 31, 2020 · 5 mins read

Introduction to Fenwick Tree

In the world of computer science, algorithms are the lifeblood of programming. They are the fundamental building blocks of software development, and understanding them is essential to becoming a successful programmer. One such algorithm is the Fenwick Tree, also known as a Binary Indexed Tree. It is a data structure that allows for efficient range queries and updates on a list of numbers.

In this blog post, we will discuss the basics of the Fenwick Tree algorithm, its applications, and how to implement it in code. We will also discuss how it compares to other data structures and how it can be used to solve various problems. So, let’s get started!

What is a Fenwick Tree?

A Fenwick Tree is a data structure that allows for efficient range queries and updates on a list of numbers. It is also known as a Binary Indexed Tree, and it is a type of balanced binary search tree. The tree is constructed from a given array of numbers. Each node in the tree represents a range of values in the array.

The tree is constructed in such a way that each node stores the sum of the values in its range. This allows for efficient range queries and updates. For example, if we want to find the sum of the values in the range [1, 5], we can query the Fenwick Tree and get the answer in O(log n) time, where n is the size of the array.

Applications of Fenwick Tree

The Fenwick Tree is a powerful data structure that can be used to solve many problems. It is used in many areas of computer science, including algorithms, data structures, and graph theory.

One of the most common applications of the Fenwick Tree is for range queries and updates. For example, if we have an array of numbers and we want to find the sum of the values in a given range, we can use a Fenwick Tree to do this in O(log n) time. This is much faster than the O(n) time it would take to do this with a linear search.

Another application of the Fenwick Tree is in dynamic programming. It can be used to solve problems such as the knapsack problem, the longest increasing subsequence problem, and the longest common subsequence problem. The Fenwick Tree can also be used to solve range minimum queries, which is a type of query that finds the minimum value in a given range.

How to Implement a Fenwick Tree

Now that we have a basic understanding of what a Fenwick Tree is and its applications, let’s look at how to implement it in code. The code for a Fenwick Tree is fairly simple. We will use pseudocode to illustrate the implementation.

The first step is to create a Fenwick Tree object. This object will store the array of numbers and the size of the array.

class FenwickTree {
  int[] array;
  int size;
  
  FenwickTree(int[] array, int size) {
    this.array = array;
    this.size = size;
  }
}

Next, we will create the methods for the Fenwick Tree. The first method is the update() method, which updates the value of a given index in the array.

void update(int index, int value) {
  while (index < size) {
    array[index] += value;
    index += (index & -index);
  }
}

The next method is the query() method, which queries the Fenwick Tree for the sum of the values in a given range.

int query(int left, int right) {
  int sum = 0;
  while (right >= left) {
    sum += array[right];
    right -= (right & -right);
  }
  return sum;
}

Finally, we will create a method to construct the Fenwick Tree. This method will take the array of numbers and the size of the array as parameters.

void constructTree() {
  for (int i = 1; i < size; i++) {
    int parent = i + (i & -i);
    if (parent < size) {
      array[parent] += array[i];
    }
  }
}

Conclusion

The Fenwick Tree is a powerful data structure that can be used to solve many problems. It is used in many areas of computer science, including algorithms, data structures, and graph theory. It is used for range queries and updates, dynamic programming, and range minimum queries.

The code for a Fenwick Tree is fairly simple. We can create a Fenwick Tree object, and then create methods for updating and querying the tree. We can also create a method to construct the tree.

Hopefully this blog post has given you a better understanding of the Fenwick Tree algorithm and how to implement it in code.