binary heaps

A binary heap is a specialized tree-based data structure used to efficiently manage a collection of elements, often prioritizing quick access to the smallest or largest item. It's structured as a complete binary tree where each parent node is smaller (or larger) than its children, enforcing a specific order—known as the heap property. This organization allows for fast operations like inserting new elements or removing the highest or lowest priority element, usually in logarithmic time. Binary heaps are commonly used in algorithms such as priority queues and heap sort due to their efficiency and simplicity.