Min Heap
In plain terms
A heap where the smallest element is always at the top.
Going deeper
A min heap keeps the minimum value at the root, giving instant access to the smallest item and logarithmic insert/remove. It backs min-priority queues.
Under the hood
Parent is always ≤ children; extract-min and insert are O(log n), peek is O(1).
Examples
Dijkstra's algorithm, scheduling, finding k smallest, priority queues.
Think of it like...
Like a to-do list where the most urgent (smallest deadline) item always floats to the top.