Number of Unique BST with N Keys

Try it on GfG Practice

Given an integer n, the task is to find the total number of unique BSTs that can be made using values from 1 to n. 

Examples: 

Input: n = 3 
Output: 5
Explanation: For n = 3, preorder traversal of Unique BSTs are:
1 2 3
1 3 2
2 1 3
3 1 2
3 2 1

Input: n = 2 
Output: 2
Explanation: For n = 2, preorder traversal of Unique BSTs are:
1 2
2 1

Approach:

A binary search tree (BST) maintains the property that elements are arranged based on their relative order. Let’s define C(n) as the number of unique BSTs that can be constructed with n nodes.

When considering all possible BSTs, each of the n nodes can serve as the root. For any selected root, the remaining n-1 nodes must be divided into two groups:

• Nodes with keys smaller than the root’s key
• Nodes with keys larger than the root’s key.

Assume we choose the node with the i-th key as the root. In this scenario, there will be i-1 nodes that are smaller and n-i nodes that are larger than the chosen root. This leads to dividing the problem of counting the total BSTs with the i-th key as the root into two subproblems:

• Calculating the number of unique BSTs for the left subtree containing i-1 nodes, represented as C(i-1).
• Calculating the number of unique BSTs for the right subtree containing n-i nodes, represented as C(n-i).

Since the left and right subtrees are constructed independently, we multiply these counts to get the total number of BSTs for the current configuration: C(i-1) * C(n-i).

To find the total number of BSTs with n nodes, we sum this product across all possible roots (i.e., from i = 1 to n). Therefore,

C(n) = Σ(i = 1 to n) C(i-1) * C(n-i).

This formula corresponds to the recurrence relation for the nth Catalan number. So this is how it is a classic application of Catalan number. We just need to find nth catalan number. First few catalan numbers are 1 1 2 5 14 42 132 429 1430 4862, … (considered from 0th number).

Formula of catalan number is (1 / n+1) * ( ^2*nCn). Please refer to Applications of Catalan Numbers.

// C++ code of finding Number of Unique
// BST with N Keys 

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Function to calculate the binomial
// coefficient C(n, k)
int binomialCoeff(int n, int k) {
    
  	// C(n, k) is the same as C(n, n-k)
    if (k > n - k) {
        k = n - k;
    }

    int res = 1;
  
    // Calculate the value of n! / (k! * (n-k)!)
    for (int i = 0; i < k; ++i) {
        res *= (n - i);
        res /= (i + 1);
    }

    return res;
}

// Function to find the nth Catalan number
int numTrees(int n) {
  
    // Calculate C(2n, n)
    int c = binomialCoeff(2 * n, n);
    
  	// Return the nth Catalan number
    return c / (n + 1);
}

int main() {
  
    int n = 5;
    cout << numTrees(n) << endl;
    return 0;
}

// Java program to find the number of unique
// BSTs with N keys

class GfG {
  
    // Function to calculate the binomial
  	// coefficient C(n, k)
    static int binomialCoeff(int n, int k) {
      
        // C(n, k) is the same as C(n, n-k)
        if (k > n - k) {
            k = n - k;
        }

        int res = 1;
      
        // Calculate the value of n! / (k! * (n-k)!)
        for (int i = 0; i < k; ++i) {
            res *= (n - i);
            res /= (i + 1);
        }

        return res;
    }

    // Function to find the nth Catalan number
    static int numTrees(int n) {
      
        // Calculate C(2n, n)
        int c = binomialCoeff(2 * n, n);

        // Return the nth Catalan number
        return c / (n + 1);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int n = 5;
        System.out.println(numTrees(n));
    }
}

# Python program to find the number of unique 
# BSTs with N keys

# Function to calculate the binomial coefficient C(n, k)
def binomial_coeff(n, k):
  
    # C(n, k) is the same as C(n, n-k)
    if k > n - k:
        k = n - k

    res = 1
    
    # Calculate the value of n! / (k! * (n-k)!)
    for i in range(k):
        res *= (n - i)
        res //= (i + 1)

    return res

# Function to find the nth Catalan number
def numTrees(n):
  
    # Calculate C(2n, n)
    c = binomial_coeff(2 * n, n)

    # Return the nth Catalan number
    return c // (n + 1)

n = 5
print(numTrees(n))

// C# program to find the number of unique
// BSTs with N keys

using System;

class GfG {
  
    // Function to calculate the binomial
  	// coefficient C(n, k)
    static int BinomialCoeff(int n, int k) {
      
        // C(n, k) is the same as C(n, n-k)
        if (k > n - k) {
            k = n - k;
        }

        int res = 1;
      
        // Calculate the value of n! / (k! * (n-k)!)
        for (int i = 0; i < k; ++i) {
            res *= (n - i);
            res /= (i + 1);
        }

        return res;
    }

    // Function to find the nth Catalan
  	// number
    static int numTrees(int n) {
      
        // Calculate C(2n, n)
        int c = BinomialCoeff(2 * n, n);

        // Return the nth Catalan number
        return c / (n + 1);
    }

    static void Main() {
        int n = 5;
        Console.WriteLine(numTrees(n));
    }
}

// JavaScript program to find the number of unique BSTs with
// n keys

// Function to calculate the binomial coefficient C(n, k)
function binomialCoeff(n, k) {

    // C(n, k) is the same as C(n, n-k)
    if (k > n - k) {
        k = n - k;
    }

    let res = 1;
    
    // Calculate the value of n! / (k! * (n-k)!)
    for (let i = 0; i < k; i++) {
        res *= (n - i);
        res /= (i + 1);
    }

    return res;
}

// Function to find the nth Catalan number
function numTrees(n) {

    // Calculate C(2n, n)
    let c = binomialCoeff(2 * n, n);

    // Return the nth Catalan number
    return c / (n + 1);
}

const n = 5;
console.log(numTrees(n));

42

Time Complexity: O(n), where n is nth catalan number.
Auxiliary Space: O(1)