noun an untidy collection of things piled up haphazardly
verb to put or throw in a heap
In computer science, a heap is a specialized tree-based data structure that satisfies the heap property. It is commonly used in algorithms such as heap sort, priority queues, and Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm.
Within the field of data structures, a heap is a binary tree data structure that satisfies the heap property. It is often used to implement priority queues and heapsort algorithms.
Heap sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm that uses a binary heap data structure. It is often used in computer science for sorting large sets of data efficiently.
Heap data structures are commonly used to implement priority queues, where elements with higher priority are served before elements with lower priority.
In graph theory and computer science, Dijkstra's algorithm uses a heap data structure to efficiently determine the shortest path between nodes in a graph.
In writing, 'heap' can be used to describe a large amount or pile of something, such as a heap of papers or a heap of ideas.
Psychologists may use 'heap' in the context of cognitive psychology to refer to a mental model known as a 'heap' which represents knowledge as a collection of facts or concepts.
In programming, 'heap' is a term used to describe a region of memory used for dynamic memory allocation. Objects stored in the heap can be accessed and manipulated through pointers.
Archaeologists may use 'heap' to refer to a mound or pile of artifacts or debris found at a dig site, such as a heap of pottery shards or a heap of bones.
Chefs may use 'heap' to describe a large quantity of ingredients, such as a heap of vegetables or a heap of spices, used in a recipe.