Can you explain the working principle of the Heap data structure and in what cases it is used?

Heap is a specialized data structure, usually implemented as a binary tree, that satisfies the heap property: the value in each node is greater (max-heap) or less (min-heap) than the values of its children.

Main features:

• Fast access to the minimum or maximum element (the root).
• Efficient addition and removal of elements while maintaining the heap property.

Used in tasks where quick access to the minimum or maximum is needed, for example:

• Implementation of priority queues.
• Sorting algorithms (heap sort).
• Finding the k-th largest element.

Example: in Android, PriorityQueue, which is based on a heap, can be used to manage tasks with priorities.