Disjoint-set data structure

A disjoint-set data structure (also known as a 'union-find' data structure) is like a way to keep track of items that are related to each other. It helps us keep track of different groups or 'sets' of items. Each item belongs to exactly one group. It is helpful for keeping track of items that are used together or found together in a larger collections. For example, you could use a disjoint-set to figure out which items in a grocery store's shelves are all part of the same 'set' -- like which chips and snacks are together, or which vegetables are in the same section.