Disjoint-set Forest Data Structure

[ayush-09]

Description of the problem

The disjoint-set forest, also known as the union-find data structure, is used to keep track of disjoint sets. It supports efficient union and find operations. It is commonly used to solve problems involving connectivity, such as finding connected components or detecting cycles in a graph. The disjoint-set forest is implemented using trees, where each node points to its parent. The root of each tree represents the set leader. The data structure offers nearly constant time complexity on average and can be optimized using techniques like path compression and union by rank.

Example of the problem

• Connected Components: Given a graph, you can use the disjoint-set forest to efficiently determine the connected components in the graph.

• Cycle Detection: You can use the disjoint-set forest to detect cycles in an undirected graph.

• Kruskal's Algorithm: The disjoint-set forest can be used in Kruskal's algorithm to find the minimum spanning tree of a graph.

• Image Segmentation: The disjoint-set forest can be applied to perform image segmentation, where pixels are grouped into regions based on their similarity.

• Network Components: In a computer network, the disjoint-set forest can be used to track network components and perform operations like merging or splitting components.

[ayush-09]

@czgdp1807 Please review this issue. Can I work on this issue ? GSSoC'23