System InternalsLearn ↗Skip ListINSERTSEARCHDELETE

Skip List — pick a scenario

0/3 done

Pick one and press Start, then click Next › to step through it.

Watch for

The search hopping across the top lanes and only dropping to the bottom near the target — that's the log-N shortcut.

More about this scenario
You'll learn

How randomized 'express lanes' give a skip list O(log N) search without the complexity of balancing a tree.

How it runs

Each INSERT flips coins to decide how many express lanes a node joins. A SEARCH starts at the top lane, skips forward until it would overshoot, drops a level, and repeats — most nodes are skipped entirely.