MEDIUM NC#53 Blind #64 Trees / BFS

102. Binary Tree Level Order Traversal

๐Ÿ“– Problem

Given the root of a binary tree, return the level order traversal of its nodes' values (i.e., from left to right, level by level).

๐Ÿง  Visual Learning Aid

1 Model the input into the right structure
2 Choose the core technique and invariant
3 Execute step-by-step with a sample
4 Validate complexity and edge cases

JS/TS Refreshers

  • โ€ขArray methods (`push`, `pop`, `shift`, `slice`)
  • โ€ขObject/Map/Set usage patterns
  • โ€ขFunction parameter and return typing
  • โ€ขLevel-order traversal
  • โ€ขQueue discipline
  • โ€ขShortest-step interpretation

Logical Thinking Concepts

  • โ€ขDefine invariants before coding
  • โ€ขCheck edge cases first (`[]`, single element, duplicates)
  • โ€ขEstimate time/space before implementation
  • โ€ขApply BFS reasoning pattern

๐Ÿ’ก Approach

  • โ†’ Use BFS (queue) for level order traversal
  • โ†’ Process all nodes at current level before moving to next
  • โ†’ Collect each level's values separately
  • โ†’ Time: O(n), Space: O(w) where w is max width

๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Hints & Pitfalls

Hints

  • โ€ขUse BFS (queue) for level order traversal
  • โ€ขProcess all nodes at current level before moving to next
  • โ€ขCollect each level's values separately

Common Pitfalls

  • โ€ขTime: O(n), Space: O(w) where w is max width

๐Ÿงช Test Cases

Hidden tests on submit: 1

Test Case 1
Not run
Input:
levelOrder(buildTree([3,9,20,null,null,15,7]));
Expected:
[[3], [9,20], [15,7]]
Test Case 2
Not run
Input:
levelOrder(buildTree([1]));
Expected:
[[1]]
Test Case 3
Not run
Input:
levelOrder(buildTree([]));
Expected:
[]

๐Ÿ“ Code Editor

๐Ÿ“š Reference Solution

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