Middle Match

Unit 6 Session 1 (Click for link to problem statements)

Problem Highlights

• 💡 Difficulty: Easy
• ⏰ Time to complete: 10 mins
• 🛠️ Topics: Linked List, Two-Pointer Technique

1: U-nderstand

Understand what the interviewer is asking for by using test cases and questions about the problem.

• Established a set (2-3) of test cases to verify their own solution later.
• Established a set (1-2) of edge cases to verify their solution handles complexities.
• Have fully understood the problem and have no clarifying questions.
• Have you verified any Time/Space Constraints for this problem?

• Q: What should happen if the linked list is empty?
  • A: The function should return False since there is no node to match val.

HAPPY CASE
Input: head = Node(1, Node(2, Node(3))), val = 2
Output: True
Explanation: The middle node in an odd-numbered list is 2, which matches `val`.

EDGE CASE
Input: head = Node(1, Node(2, Node(3, Node(4)))), val = 3
Output: True
Explanation: In a list with an even number of nodes, the second middle node is 3, which matches `val`.

2: M-atch

Match what this problem looks like to known categories of problems, e.g., Linked List or Dynamic Programming, and strategies or patterns in those categories.

This problem utilizes the slow-fast pointer technique, commonly used in problems involving linked lists to find middle elements or detect cycles.

3: P-lan

Plan the solution with appropriate visualizations and pseudocode.

General Idea: Use the slow-fast pointer technique to locate the middle or the second middle node in the list, and then compare its value to val.

1) Check if the head is `None` and return `False` immediately, as there's no node to check against `val`.
2) Initialize both `slow` and `fast` pointers at the head.
3) Traverse the list: move `slow` by one step and `fast` by two steps until `fast` reaches the end or the last node.
4) At the end of the traversal, `slow` will point to the middle (or second middle) node.
5) Compare `slow.value` to `val` and return the result.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• Not handling the case where the list is empty.
• Incorrect loop condition that doesn't properly account for the end of the list.

4: I-mplement

Implement the code to solve the algorithm.

class Node:
    def __init__(self, value=None, next=None):
        self.value = value
        self.next = next

def middle_match(head, val):
    if not head:
        return False  # Return False as there's no node to match with val

    slow = fast = head
    while fast and fast.next:
        slow = slow.next
        fast = fast.next.next
    return slow.value == val  # Check if the middle node's value matches val

5: R-eview

Review the code by running specific example(s) and recording values (watchlist) of your code's variables along the way.

• Test with both odd and even number of nodes.
• Test with edge cases such as a single-node list or an empty list.

6: E-valuate

Evaluate the performance of your algorithm and state any strong/weak or future potential work.

• Time Complexity: O(n/2) which simplifies to O(n) because in the worst case, the loop must execute while slow pointer travels through half of the list to reach the middle.
• Space Complexity: O(1) since no additional data structures are needed beyond the two pointers, slow and fast.