The word "traversals" is spelled with the IPA symbol /trəˈvɜːrsəlz/. The first syllable is stressed and contains the consonant cluster "tr," which is spelled with a "t" and an "r." The second syllable is unstressed and contains the vowel sound /ə/ spelled with an "e." The third syllable contains the cluster "rs," which is spelled with "rs." The final syllable contains the plural suffix "-s," spelled with an "s." The word refers to the act of crossing over or passing through something.
Traversals refer to the process of navigating through or exploring the elements of a data structure. It involves visiting each node or element in a particular order to perform desired operations or extract relevant information. Traversals are common in various data structures like trees, graphs, linked lists, and arrays.
In computer science, there are several types of traversals based on different approaches and objectives. One common type is the depth-first traversal, which explores the deepest levels of a data structure first before moving to the next branch or level. This can be achieved through methods like depth-first search (DFS) or recursive algorithms.
Another type is breadth-first traversal, which examines the elements in a breadth-first order, i.e., from left to right, across levels or branches. This technique is commonly used in algorithms like breadth-first search (BFS) or queue-based approaches.
Traversals can also be classified as pre-order, in-order, and post-order, depending on when the root node or current element is processed. Pre-order traversal visits the root node first, followed by the left and right sub-trees. In-order traversal explores the left sub-tree first, then the root, and finally the right sub-tree. Post-order traversal processes the left and right sub-trees before the root node.
Overall, traversals are fundamental techniques for effectively examining and manipulating data structures, enabling efficient data retrieval, sorting, filtering, or other operations.
The word "traversals" is derived from the verb "traverse", which can be traced back to the Middle English word "traversen", meaning "to cross over". It entered the English language from the Old French word "traverser", which has the same meaning. "Traverser" comes from the Late Latin word "transversare", meaning "to cross over" or "to go across". This Latin term is a derivative of "transversus", which means "turned or directed across". Ultimately, the Latin word can be broken down into "trans" (meaning "across") and "vertere" (meaning "to turn").