Path Compression
Domain: Data Structures
🎯 Motivation
An optimisation for union-find that flattens the tree during find operations, making future queries nearly instant.
📋 Concrete Example
When find(D) traverses D -> C -> B -> A (root), path compression re-points D and C directly to A. Next time, find(D) goes straight to A in one step.
🔗 Analogy
Instead of asking your manager, who asks their manager, who asks the CEO, the company restructures so everyone reports directly to the CEO. Future queries are one step.