Western Governors University (WGU) ICSC2100 C949 Data Structures and Algorithms I Practice Exam

Using the pre-order traversal method is effective for creating a copy of a binary tree because this method processes the parent node before its child nodes.

During a pre-order traversal, the algorithm typically follows these steps: first, visit and store the value of the current node (the root), then traverse the left subtree, and finally traverse the right subtree. By copying the parent node's value before moving to its children, we ensure that the structure of the tree is replicated accurately. This means that when a new node is being created, we first establish the parent node, and then we proceed to copy its left and right children in the same order.

This approach builds the new tree in the same shape as the original, maintaining the hierarchy and connections between nodes. Other traversal methods, while they may also be used in some contexts, do not guarantee the order in which the nodes are processed in a way that respects the parent-child relationships as neatly as pre-order does, making it the most suitable for copying a binary tree.