Reversing a Linked List in Java

🚀 Day 76 — Slow & Fast Pointer (Find the Duplicate Number) Continuing the cycle detection pattern — today I applied slow‑fast pointers to an array problem where the values act as pointers to indices. 📌 Problem Solved: - LeetCode 287 – Find the Duplicate Number 🧠 Key Learnings: 1️⃣ The Problem Twist  Given an array of length `n+1` containing integers from `1` to `n` (inclusive), with one duplicate. We must find the duplicate without modifying the array and using only O(1) extra space. 2️⃣ Why Slow‑Fast Pointer Works Here  - Treat the array as a linked list where `i` points to `nums[i]`.   - Because there’s a duplicate, two different indices point to the same value → a cycle exists in this implicit linked list.   - The duplicate number is exactly the entry point of the cycle (same logic as LeetCode 142).  3️⃣ The Algorithm in Steps - Phase 1 (detect cycle): `slow = nums[slow]`, `fast = nums[nums[fast]]`. Wait for them to meet.   - Phase 2 (find cycle start): Reset `slow = 0`, then move both one step at a time until they meet again. The meeting point is the duplicate. 4️⃣ Why Not Use Sorting or Hashing?   - Sorting modifies the array (not allowed).   - Hashing uses O(n) space (not allowed).   - Slow‑fast pointer runs in O(n) time and O(1) space — perfect for the constraints. 💡 Takeaway:  This problem beautifully demonstrates how the slow‑fast pattern transcends linked lists. Any structure where you can define a “next” function (here: `next(i) = nums[i]`) can be analyzed for cycles. Recognizing this abstraction is a superpower. No guilt about past breaks — just another pattern mastered, one day at a time. #DSA #SlowFastPointer #CycleDetection #FindDuplicateNumber #LeetCode #CodingJourney #Revision #Java #ProblemSolving #Consistency #GrowthMindset #TechCommunity #LearningInPublic

Day 103: Simple & Clean 🎯 Problem 1848: Minimum Distance to the Target Element After some complex DP challenges, today was a straightforward exercise in linear search and distance calculation. The Strategy: • Linear Traversal: I iterated through the array to find every occurrence of the target element. • Absolute Minimization: For each match, I calculated the absolute difference between the current index and the start index, keeping track of the minimum value found. Sometimes a simple, O(N) solution is all you need. Day 103 down—maintaining the streak with clarity and consistency. 🚀 #LeetCode #Java #Algorithms #ProblemSolving #DailyCode

📌 Median of Two Sorted Arrays Platform: LeetCode #4 Difficulty: Hard ⚙️ Approach • Apply binary search on the smaller array for efficiency • Define search space from 0 to n1 • Partition both arrays such that: – Left half contains (n1 + n2 + 1) / 2 elements – Right half contains remaining elements • Identify boundary elements: – l1, l2 → left side elements – r1, r2 → right side elements • Check valid partition: – l1 <= r2 and l2 <= r1 • If valid: – For even length → median = average of max(left) and min(right) – For odd length → median = max(left) • If not valid: – If l1 > r2, move left – Else move right 🧠 Logic Used • Binary Search on partition index • Dividing arrays into balanced halves • Handling edge cases using boundary values • Achieving optimal O(log(min(n1, n2))) time complexity 🔗 GitHub: https://lnkd.in/g_3x55n8 ✅ Day 36 Completed – Revised advanced binary search and partition-based problem. #100DaysOfCode #Java #DSA #ProblemSolving #CodingJourney #Algorithms #DataStructures #LeetCode #CodingPractice #CodeEveryDay #BinarySearch #ArrayProblems

🔥 Day 59/100 – LeetCode Challenge 📌 Problem Solved: Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array II (Medium) Today’s problem was a great exercise in in-place array manipulation and two-pointer technique. 💡 Key Idea: Since the array is already sorted, duplicates are adjacent. Instead of removing all duplicates, we allow each element to appear at most twice. 👉 The trick is to compare the current element with the element at index k-2. If they are the same → skip ❌ If different → keep it ✅ ⚙️ Approach: Initialize pointer k = 2 Traverse from index 2 Copy valid elements forward Maintain order without extra space 🧠 What I learned: How to efficiently handle constraints like “at most twice” Importance of thinking in terms of index relationships (k-2) Writing optimal O(n) solutions with O(1) space 📊 Performance: ⚡ Runtime: 0 ms (100%) 💾 Memory: 48.46 MB 💻 Tech Used: Java Consistency is key 🔑 — 59 days done, 41 more to go! #100DaysOfCode #LeetCode #Java #DataStructures #CodingChallenge #ProblemSolving #TechJourney

🚀 Day 15 of LeetCode Problem Solving Solved today’s problem — LeetCode #49: Group Anagrams 💻🔥 ✅ Approach: HashMap + Sorting ⚡ Time Complexity: O(n * k log k) 📊 Space Complexity: O(n * k) The task was to group strings that are anagrams of each other. 👉 I used a HashMap where: Key = sorted version of string Value = list of anagrams 💡 Key Idea: If two strings are anagrams, their sorted form will be the same. 👉 Core Logic: Convert string → char array Sort the array Use sorted string as key Store original string in map 💡 Key Learning: Transforming data (like sorting strings) can help in identifying patterns and grouping efficiently. Consistency is the key — learning something new every day 🚀 #Day15 #LeetCode #DSA #Java #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #100DaysOfCode

🚀 Day 44 of #100DaysOfCode Solved 1011. Capacity To Ship Packages Within D Days on LeetCode 📦 🧠 Key Insight: We need to find the minimum ship capacity such that all packages can be shipped within D days. This is a classic case of Binary Search on Answer. ⚙️ Approach: 1️⃣ The minimum capacity = max(weight) (since one package must fit) 2️⃣ The maximum capacity = sum of all weights 3️⃣ Apply Binary Search between these bounds 4️⃣ For each capacity mid, simulate shipping: 🔹Keep adding weights until capacity exceeds 🔹Move to the next day when exceeded 5️⃣ If we can ship within D days → try smaller capacity 6️⃣ Else → increase capacity This helps us find the minimum valid capacity efficiently. ⏱️ Time Complexity: O(n log(sum)) 📦 Space Complexity: O(1) #100DaysOfCode #LeetCode #DSA #BinarySearch #Algorithms #Java #InterviewPrep #CodingJourney

Today I solved LeetCode 104 – Maximum Depth of Binary Tree. 🧩 Problem Summary: Given the root of a binary tree, return its maximum depth. The maximum depth is the number of nodes along the longest path from the root node down to the farthest leaf node. 💡 Key Concepts Used: Binary Trees Recursion Depth First Search (DFS) Tree traversal 🧠 Approach: Use DFS (recursion) to explore the tree. For each node: Recursively calculate the depth of the left subtree. Recursively calculate the depth of the right subtree. The depth of the current node = 1 + max(left depth, right depth) Base case: if node is null, return 0. ⏱ Time Complexity: O(N) — Each node is visited once. 📚 What I Learned: Understanding tree depth calculation. Strengthening recursion and DFS concepts. Difference between maximum depth vs minimum depth. Building intuition for tree-based problems. Strong fundamentals in trees make advanced problems easier Consistency is the key to improvement #LeetCode #DSA #BinaryTree #MaximumDepth #DFS #Recursion #Java #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #100DaysOfCode #TechGrowth

🚀 Day 55/100: LeetCode Challenge – Path Sum (Binary Trees) Halfway through the 100-day journey and the momentum is only building! Today’s focus was on Binary Trees and recursion with the "Path Sum" problem. 💡 The Logic The goal is to determine if a tree has a root-to-leaf path that sums up to a specific targetSum. My approach used a recursive Depth-First Search (DFS): Base Case: If the node is null, return false. Leaf Check: If we reach a leaf node, check if the remaining sum equals the node's value. Recursion: Subtract the current node's value from the target and move down to the left and right children. 📊 Results Runtime: 0 ms (Beats 100.00% of Java users) ⚡ Memory: 44.74 MB (Beats 89.55% of Java users) 🧠 Recursive solutions for trees always feel like magic when they click. It’s all about breaking down a complex structure into the simplest possible sub-problem. Onward to Day 56! #LeetCode #100DaysOfCode #Java #DataStructures #Algorithms #SoftwareEngineering #BinaryTree #CodingChallenge

🚀 Day 8/100 — #100DaysOfLeetCode Another day, another concept unlocked 💻🔥 ✅ Problem Solved: 🔹 LeetCode 73 — Set Matrix Zeroes 💡 Problem Idea: If any element in a matrix is 0, its entire row and column must be converted to 0 — and the challenge is to do this in-place without using extra space. 🧠 Algorithm & Tricks Learned: Instead of using extra arrays, we can use the first row and first column as markers. First pass → mark rows and columns that should become zero. Second pass → update the matrix based on those markers. Carefully handle the first row and first column separately to avoid losing information. ⚡ Key Insight: The matrix itself can act as storage, reducing extra memory usage. 📊 Complexity Analysis: Time Complexity: O(m × n) → traverse matrix twice Space Complexity: O(1) → solved in-place without extra data structures This problem taught me how small optimizations can significantly improve space efficiency. Learning to think beyond brute force every day 🚀 #100DaysOfLeetCode #LeetCode #DSA #MatrixProblems #Algorithms #Java #ProblemSolving #CodingJourney #LearningInPublic

Day 71/100 Completed ✅ 🚀 Solved LeetCode – Reshape the Matrix (Java) ⚡ Implemented an efficient matrix transformation approach by mapping elements from the original matrix to the reshaped matrix using a single traversal. Instead of creating intermediate structures, used index manipulation (count / c, count % c) to place elements correctly while maintaining row-wise order. 🧠 Key Learnings: • Understanding how to map 2D indices into a linear traversal • Efficiently converting between different matrix dimensions • Handling edge cases where reshape is not possible • Writing clean and optimized nested loop logic 💯 This problem strengthened my understanding of matrix traversal and index mapping techniques, which are very useful in array and grid-based problems. 🔗 Profile: https://lnkd.in/gaJmKdrA #leetcode #datastructures #algorithms #java #matrix #arrays #problemSolving #100DaysOfCode 🚀