A Tool for Sketching and Manipulating Binary Heaps

Data structures are one of the most fundamental topics taught in computer science courses. Instructors often use diagrams to illus-trate the operations that are performed on data structures but there is a lack of computerized teaching tools with domain-specific knowl-edge that could assist an instructor in sketching and manipulating these data structures. This paper introduces a prototype tool that al-lows users to quickly sketch and manipulate binary heaps. The tool allows optional captions to be associated with the manipulations of the heaps so that students can use this tool for self-directed study. Eventually we hope to extend this tool to work with many different types of data structures, including arrays, lists, trees, and graphs