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

In a min heap, the essential characteristic is that each parent node is always less than or equal to its child nodes. The property ensures that the smallest element is always at the root of the heap, making it efficient for retrieval of the minimum element.

The correct understanding of the characteristics of a min heap includes that parent nodes will always be less than their children, allowing for a structured way to manage and access data, especially useful in priority queues and sorting algorithms. In some variations, parent nodes may be equal to their children; this is also permissible in a min heap.

Since the description of the properties of a min heap inherently does not allow for parent nodes to be greater than their children, this confirms the choice of the statement that says parent nodes can be greater than their children as not being a characteristic of a min heap. This distinction is fundamental to understanding the structure and behavior of heaps in data management.