12-2 Radix trees

Given two strings $a = a_0a_1 \ldots a_p$ and $b = b_0b_1 \ldots b_q$, where each $a_i$ and each $b_j$ is in some ordered set of characters, we say that string $a$ is lexicographically less than string $b$ if either

1. there exists an integer $j$, where $0 \le j \le \min(p, q)$, such that $a_i = b_i$ for all $i = 0, 1, \ldots j - 1$ and $a_j < b_j$, or
2. $p < q$ and $a_i = b_i$ for all $i = 0, 1, \ldots, p$.

For example, if $a$ and $b$ are bit strings, then $10100 < 10110$ by rule 1 (letting $j = 3$) and $10100 < 101000$ by rule 2. This ordering is similar to that used in English-language dictionaries.

The radix tree data structure shown in Figure 12.5 stores the bit strings $1011, 10, 011, 100$, and $0$. When searching for a key $a = a_0a_1 \ldots a_p$, we go left at a node of depth $i$ if $a_i = 0$ and right if $a_i = 1$. Let $S$ be a set of distinct bit strings whose lengths sum to $n$. Show how to use a radix tree to sort $S$ lexicographically in $\Theta(n)$ time. For the example in Figure 12.5, the output of the sort should be the sequence $0, 011, 10, 100, 1011$.

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