Closest Binary Search Tree Value

Problem

Given the root of a binary search tree and a target value, return the value in the BST that is closest to the target. If there are multiple answers, print the smallest.

Example 1:

Input: root = [4,2,5,1,3], target = 3.714286
Output: 4

Example 2:

Input: root = [1], target = 4.428571
Output: 1

Constraints:

  • The number of nodes in the tree is in the range [1, 104].
  • 0 <= Node.val <= 109
  • -109 <= target <= 109

Solution

/**
 * Definition for a binary tree node.
 * public class TreeNode {
 *     int val;
 *     TreeNode left;
 *     TreeNode right;
 *     TreeNode() {}
 *     TreeNode(int val) { this.val = val; }
 *     TreeNode(int val, TreeNode left, TreeNode right) {
 *         this.val = val;
 *         this.left = left;
 *         this.right = right;
 *     }
 * }
 */
class Solution {
    public int closestValue(TreeNode root, double target) {
        var closest = root.val;
        while (root != null) {
            var val = root.val;
            var d1 = Math.abs(val - target);
            var d2 = Math.abs(closest - target);
            if (d1 < d2 || (d1 == d2 && val < closest)) {
                closest = val;
            }
            root = target < val ? root.left : root.right;
        }
        return closest;
    }
}

Recent posts from blogs that I like

FBI Seizes NetNut Proxy Platform, Popa Botnet

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said today it worked with industry partners to seize hundreds of domains associated with NetNut, a sprawling residential proxy service operated by the publicly-traded Israeli company Alarum Technologies [NASDAQ: ALAR]. The action comes roughly two weeks afte...

via Krebs on Security

Brushstrokes: Portraits 1760-1877

Brushstrokes and painterly marks in the portraits of Gainsborough, Reynolds, Angelica Kauffmann, Jacques-Louis David and James Tissot.

via The Eclectic Light Company

Text AI watermarks will always be trivial to remove

The European Union AI Act will begin to be enforceable in August 2026, one month from now1. One of the biggest new requirements is Article 50, which requires all AI outputs to be “detectable as artificially generated”. In other words, if LLM providers want to do business in the EU, they will have to...

via Sean Goedecke