red-black tree

A red-black tree is a type of self-balancing binary search tree used in computer programming to organize data efficiently. It assigns a color (red or black) to each node to ensure the tree remains balanced after insertions or deletions. This balancing guarantees that operations like search, insert, and delete can be performed quickly, typically in logarithmic time relative to the number of items. The rules about colors prevent the tree from becoming too skewed, maintaining a structure that allows fast access to data, similar to how balanced bookshelves provide quick retrieval of books.