K-th Largest Perfect Subtree Size in Binary Tree - Problem
K-th Largest Perfect Subtree Size in Binary Tree

You're given the root of a binary tree and an integer k. Your task is to find the size of the k-th largest perfect binary subtree within this tree.

A perfect binary tree is a special type of tree where:
• All leaf nodes are at the same level
• Every internal node has exactly two children

Return the size (number of nodes) of the k-th largest perfect subtree, or -1 if fewer than k perfect subtrees exist.

Example: In a tree with perfect subtrees of sizes [7, 3, 3, 1, 1], the 2nd largest would be size 3.

Input & Output

example_1.py — Basic Perfect Subtrees
$ Input: root = [5,3,6,5,2,5,7,1,null,null,null,null,null,null,8], k = 2
Output: 3
💡 Note: The perfect subtrees have sizes [1,1,1,1,1,1,3,1]. The 2nd largest size is 3.
example_2.py — Single Node Tree
$ Input: root = [1], k = 1
Output: 1
💡 Note: The only perfect subtree is the root itself with size 1.
example_3.py — No Perfect Subtrees of Required Rank
$ Input: root = [1,2,null,3], k = 2
Output: -1
💡 Note: Only one perfect subtree exists (leaf node 3 with size 1), but we need the 2nd largest.

Constraints

  • The number of nodes in the tree is in the range [1, 2000]
  • 1 ≤ Node.val ≤ 2000
  • 1 ≤ k ≤ 1024

Visualization

Tap to expand
ASize: 7BSize: 3CSize: 3DEFG🎯 Perfect Subtree Analysis:• Leaves D,E,F,G: Each size 1 (perfect by definition)• Nodes B,C: Size 3 each (both children at same height)• Root A: Size 7 (perfect subtrees B,C have equal height 2)
Understanding the Visualization
1
Identify Leaf Families
Single individuals (leaf nodes) are considered perfect families of size 1
2
Check Parent Generations
A parent forms a perfect family if both children lead perfect families of the same depth
3
Calculate Family Sizes
Perfect family size = left family + right family + parent (1)
4
Collect and Rank
Gather all perfect family sizes and rank them to find the k-th largest
Key Takeaway
🎯 Key Insight: A subtree is perfect if both its children are perfect subtrees of equal height, enabling efficient bottom-up detection in a single traversal.
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