Breadth-first search visits a paper tree one level at a time

PresentFamily discovery

Levels are not road distances.

1 minute read · Gretna Junction Research Desk

AI-assisted · Last verified Primary body checked October 18, 2026.

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In this story

Neighbors before deeper branches

NIST describes breadth-first search and notes that, in a tree, it is equivalent to level-order traversal, typically using a queue.

Use a fictional tree

Draw root R with children A and B. Give A children C and D, and B child E.

Visiting R, then A and B, then C, D and E follows the stated levels. Choosing B before A can change the within-level order while preserving that pattern.

These invented connections carry no distance, fare or travel-time labels. The drawing cannot identify a fastest road journey between actual places.

Sources & verification

NIST — breadth-first search

April 22, 2019 definition; checked October 18, 2026. AI-assisted research; original tree.

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