LeetCode Discipline: Longest Common Prefix Solution

🚀 Day 30/60 — LeetCode Discipline Problem Solved: 3Sum Closest Difficulty: Medium Today’s problem pushed beyond exact answers and focused on finding the closest possible sum to a given target — a subtle yet powerful variation of the classic 3Sum problem. By sorting the array and using a two-pointer approach, the solution efficiently explores combinations while continuously updating the closest result. This problem highlights how small modifications in logic can significantly change the nature of a problem — from exact matching to optimal approximation. 💡 Focus Areas: • Strengthened two-pointer technique • Practiced working with sorted arrays • Improved handling of optimization conditions • Learned to track and update closest values dynamically • Reinforced problem-solving under constraints ⚡ Performance Highlight: Achieved efficient runtime with optimized traversal. Not every problem asks for perfection — sometimes, the goal is to get as close as possible. #LeetCode #60DaysOfCode #100DaysOfCode #DSA #TwoPointers #Algorithms #ProblemSolving #CodingJourney #SoftwareEngineering #Java #Developers #Consistency #TechGrowth #LearnToCode

“What I learned after solving 300+ LeetCode problems 👇” At the beginning, I made a mistake. I kept solving random problems every day thinking: “More problems = more skill” But I was wrong. I realized that solving problems randomly is mostly a waste of time if you don’t understand the pattern behind them. Everything changed when I started focusing on patterns instead of problems. Here are some important patterns I learned: • Sliding Window • Two Pointers • Prefix Sum • Binary Search • Recursion & Backtracking • Linked List Patterns • Stack & Monotonic Stack • Hashing / Frequency Count Once you understand these patterns: You don’t need to solve 1000 problems. You start recognizing solutions instantly. Now when I see a problem, I don’t panic. I ask: 👉 “Which pattern does this belong to?” That one question changed everything for me. Still learning, but now with direction 🚀 #DSA #LeetCode #Java #BackendDevelopment #CodingJourney

#Day357 of #1001DaysOfCode LeetCode Daily Challenge Problem: Decode the Slanted Ciphertext (LeetCode 2075) 💡 Approach: The encoded string represents a matrix filled row-wise. I traversed the matrix diagonally (top-left to bottom-right) by converting 2D indices into a 1D string index. Finally, removed trailing spaces to get the correct decoded message. (*you can use inbuilt .stripTrailing() function as well) ⏱ Time Complexity: O(n) 🧠 Space Complexity: O(n) Staying consistent with daily problem solving 🚀 #DSA #Java #LeetCode #ProblemSolving #Coding

Day 53 :- 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗜𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 🔤🔁 Today’s DSA session was about understanding character mapping and pattern consistency using LeetCode 205: Isomorphic Strings. This problem is a great way to strengthen understanding of hashing + mapping patterns in strings. 🔹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴 Given two strings s and t, determine if they are isomorphic. 👉 Two strings are isomorphic if characters in s can be replaced to get t, while maintaining order. 👉 No two characters can map to the same character (one-to-one mapping). 🔹 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 💡 This problem combines: • Character mapping • Tracking last seen positions 👉 Instead of explicitly storing mappings, we track last occurrence index of characters. 🔹 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰 ✔️ If lengths are different → return false ✔️ Use two arrays to track last seen positions: • lastS for string s • lastT for string t ✔️ For each index i: • If last occurrence of s[i] ≠ last occurrence of t[i] → not isomorphic • Update both with i + 1 👉 Using i + 1 avoids confusion with default value 0 🔹 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 👉 Ensures consistent mapping pattern 👉 If two characters behaved differently before → mismatch detected 👉 No need for complex hash maps 🔹 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 ⚡ • Time Complexity → O(n) • Space Complexity → O(1) (fixed size arrays) 🔹 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 💡 👉 Pattern problems can often be solved using last seen indices 👉 Always think of simpler representations before jumping to hash maps 👉 Consistency in mapping is more important than actual values 🙏 Huge thanks to my mentors Anchal Sharma and Ikshit .. for guiding me in recognizing patterns in string problems. This approach makes many problems much simpler! #DSA #Java #100DaysOfCode #Strings #Hashing #ProblemSolving #Mentorship #LeetCode #SoftwareEngineering #CodingJourney 🚀

🚀 LeetCode Progress Update | Strengthening Core Logic & DSA Today, I tackled the classic "String to Integer (atoi)" problem on LeetCode — and what initially seemed straightforward turned out to be a great exercise in handling edge cases and writing robust logic. While implementing the solution, I realized how important it is to think beyond the obvious. The problem involves handling multiple real-world scenarios such as: Leading whitespaces Optional '+' or '-' signs Non-numeric characters Overflow and underflow conditions One of the key learnings from this problem was understanding how 32-bit integer limits work. In Java, an int can store values only within the range: -->( -2³¹ to 2³¹ - 1) i.e., -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 So, while parsing a number from a string, if the value exceeds this range: It must be clamped to Integer.MAX_VALUE (2147483647) Or Integer.MIN_VALUE (-2147483648) To handle this effectively, I used a larger data type during computation and carefully controlled overflow conditions — which gave me deeper insight into how real-world systems prevent crashes and unexpected behavior. 💡 This problem reinforced: The importance of edge-case handling Writing defensive and scalable code How exception handling (like try-catch) plays a role when dealing with numeric limits Solving this medium-level problem (with a relatively low acceptance rate) definitely boosted my confidence and strengthened my problem-solving approach. Looking forward to solving more such challenges and continuously improving my DSA and logical thinking skills! 💪 Big thanks to LeetCode for providing such a powerful platform for learning and growth. #LeetCode #DSA #Java #ProblemSolving #CodingJourney #SoftwareEngineering #Developers #TechGrowth #100DaysOfCode

🔥 Day 31/100 – DSA Problem Solving 📌 Problem: 412. Fizz Buzz (LeetCode) Today’s problem looks simple, but it really tests your logic building and attention to detail. 💡 My Approach: I used a loop from 1 to n For each number: If divisible by both 3 & 5 → "FizzBuzz" If divisible by 3 → "Fizz" If divisible by 5 → "Buzz" Otherwise → convert number to string 🧠 What I Learned Today: ✅ Importance of using the correct variable inside loops ✅ Order of conditions matters (3 & 5 first) ✅ Writing clean and readable logic ✅ Even easy problems can teach debugging skills 🚀 Key Takeaway: Don’t underestimate easy problems — they help build strong fundamentals and improve problem-solving thinking. 💻 Code Concept: Used simple loop + conditional statements + list to store results. #Day31 #100DaysOfCode #DSA #LeetCode #Java #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving

🚀 Day 88 – DSA Journey | Binary Tree Postorder Traversal Continuing my daily DSA practice, today I tackled one of the trickier tree traversals using an iterative approach. 📌 Problem Practiced: Binary Tree Postorder Traversal (LeetCode 145) 🔍 Problem Idea: Traverse a binary tree in postorder — Left → Right → Root — and return the node values. 💡 Key Insight: Postorder traversal is not straightforward iteratively. A clever trick is to reverse a modified preorder traversal (Root → Right → Left) to achieve the correct order. 📌 Approach Used: • Use a stack to process nodes • Traverse in Root → Right → Left order • Insert elements at the beginning of the result list • This effectively reverses the order to get Left → Right → Root 📌 Concepts Strengthened: • Tree traversal (Postorder) • Stack usage • Iterative traversal tricks • Reversing traversal logic ⏱️ Time Complexity: O(n) 📦 Space Complexity: O(n) 🔥 Today’s takeaway: Sometimes solving a problem becomes easier when you reverse the perspective — small tricks can simplify complex logic. On to Day 89! 🚀 #Day88 #DSAJourney #LeetCode #BinaryTree #Stack #Java #ProblemSolving #Coding #LearningInPublic #Consistency

🚀 Day 559 of #750DaysOfCode 🚀 🔍 LeetCode 3741: Minimum Distance Between Three Equal Elements II Today’s problem was an extension of yesterday’s question — but with larger constraints (n up to 1e5), making efficiency crucial ⚡ 💡 Problem Recap: Find three indices (i, j, k) such that: nums[i] == nums[j] == nums[k] Distance = |i - j| + |j - k| + |k - i| is minimized ✨ Approach I Used (Clean & Intuitive): ✔ Stored indices of each number using a HashMap ✔ For each number: If it appears ≥ 3 times Check consecutive triplets of indices ✔ Compute distance using: 👉 |i - j| + |j - k| + |k - i| 💻 Key Code Insight: Instead of checking all combinations, I only checked sliding windows of size 3 within index lists — reducing unnecessary work. 🧠 Learning: Even in medium problems, a simple structured approach (grouping + sliding window) can pass efficiently when applied correctly. ⚡ Complexity: Time: O(n) to build map + O(n) traversal Space: O(n) 💬 Takeaway: Don’t overcomplicate — sometimes the same idea from an easy problem scales well with just a small optimization in thinking. #LeetCode #DSA #Java #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #Tech #Programming #Developers #100DaysOfCode

🔥 Day 3 of my 50 Days Wild Coding Kickoff! 🔥 💡 Problem 3: Valid Parentheses (Easy) Given a string containing just '(', ')', '{', '}', '[' and ']', determine if the input string is valid. A string is valid if: ✔ Open brackets are closed by the same type ✔ Open brackets are closed in the correct order Example 1: Input: s = "[]" Output: true Example 3: Input: s = "[(])" Output: false 🚀 Approach (Optimized without Stack class): Instead of using Java’s built-in Stack, I used a char array to simulate a stack for better performance. Created a char[] as stack Used top pointer to track elements Push opening brackets On closing bracket → pop and compare If mismatch or stack empty → invalid #100DaysOfCode #50DaysOfCode #CodingChallenge #JavaDeveloper #DataStructures #Stack #Algorithms #DSA #CodingJourney #InterviewPrep #LeetCode #ProblemSolving #DeveloperLife #CodingDaily #CodePractice