Consider the array representation of a binary min-heap containing 1023 elements. The minimum number of comparisons required to find the maximum in the heap is _________.

In a binary min-heap, the minimum element is stored at the root, and for any node, its value is less than or equal to the values of its children.

Consequently, the maximum element must be located at one of the leaf nodes.

### 1. Count the number of leaf nodes: For a complete binary tree with $N = 1023$ elements:

(The leaves occupy indices $\lceil N/2 \rceil = 512$ to $1023$).

### 2. Finding the maximum among the leaves: To find the maximum element among $k$ candidates, we need to perform pairwise comparisons:

For $k = 512$ leaves:

Thus, the answer is 511.