InterviewSolution
This section includes InterviewSolutions, each offering curated multiple-choice questions to sharpen your knowledge and support exam preparation. Choose a topic below to get started.
| 1. |
What is the space complexity of the selection sort algorithm? |
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Answer» Selection sort is an in place sorting method, which implies it does not require any additional or minimal data storage. Therefore, the selection sort algorithm has a constant space complexity or O(1) space complexity. ConclusionSo, in conclusion, we would like to convey to our readers that the Algorithm Interviews are usually the most crucial and tough interviews of all in the Recruitment process of a lot of Software COMPANIES and a SOUND understanding of Algorithms usually implies that the candidate is very good in logical thinking and has the ability to think out of the box. Algorithm interview questions can be easily solved if one has a sound understanding of Algorithms and has GONE through a lot of Algorithm Examples and Algorithm MCQs (which we will be covering in the next section of this article). Therefore, we suggest to all the budding coders of today to develop a strong GRASP on the various Algorithms that have been discovered to date so that they can ace their next Technical Interviews. Useful Resources:
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| 2. |
What is the space complexity of the insertion sort algorithm? |
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Answer» INSERTION sort is an in-place sorting method, which implies it does not require any additional or minimal data storage. In insertion sort, only a single LIST element MUST be stored outside of the starting data, RESULTING in a constant space complexity or O(1) space complexity. |
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| 3. |
Describe the heap sort algorithm. |
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Answer» Heap sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm. Heapsort is SIMILAR to selection sort in that it separates its input into a sorted and an unsorted region, then successively decreases the unsorted part by taking the largest element from it and putting it into the sorted region. Unlike selection sort, heapsort does not waste time scanning the unsorted region in LINEAR time; instead, heap sort keeps the unsorted region in a heap DATA structure to identify the largest element in each step more rapidly. Let us take a look at the heap sort algorithm: The Heapsort algorithm starts by converting the list to a max heap. The algorithm then swaps the first and last values in the list, reducing the range of values considered in the heap operation by one, and filters the new first value into its heap place. This process is repeated until the range of values considered is only one value long.
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| 4. |
Define tree traversal and list some of the algorithms to traverse a binary tree. |
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Answer» The PROCESS of VISITING all the nodes of a TREE is known as tree TRAVERSAL. Some of the algorithms to traverse a binary tree are as follows:
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| 5. |
Define insertion sort and selection sort. |
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| 6. |
Devise an algorithm to insert a node in a Binary Search Tree. |
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Answer» An algorithm to insert a node in a Binary Search Tree is given below: |
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| 7. |
What are recursive algorithms? State the important rules which every recursive algorithm must follow. |
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Answer» Recursive ALGORITHM is a way of tackling a difficult problem by breaking it down into smaller and smaller subproblems until the problem is small enough to be solved quickly. It usually involves a function that calls itself (PROPERTY of recursive functions). The THREE laws which must be followed by all recursive ALGORITHMS are as follows:
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| 8. |
Can we use the binary search algorithm for linked lists? Justify your answer. |
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Answer» No, we cannot use the binary search algorithm for LINKED lists. |
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| 9. |
Explain the Dijkstra's Algorithm to find the shortest path between a given node in a graph to any other node in the graph. |
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Answer» Dijkstra's algorithm is a method for determining the shortest pathways between nodes in a graph, which might be used to depict road networks. Edsger W. Dijkstra, a computer scientist, conceived it in 1956 and published it three years later. There are NUMEROUS variations of the algorithm. The original Dijkstra algorithm discovered the shortest path between two nodes, but a more frequent form fixes a single node as the "source" node and finds the shortest pathways from the source to all other nodes in the network, resulting in a shortest-path tree. Let us take a look at Dijkstra's Algorithm to find the shortest path between a given node in a graph to any other node in the graph: Let us call the node where we are starting the process as the initial node. Let the distance from the initial node to Y be the distance of node Y. Dijkstra's algorithm will begin with unlimited distances and attempt to improve them incrementally.
It is not required to wait until the target node is "visited" as described above while constructing a route: the algorithm can end once the destination node has the least tentative distance AMONG all "unvisited" nodes (and thus could be selected as the next "current"). For arbitrary directed GRAPHS with unbounded non-negative weights, Dijkstra's algorithm is asymptotically the fastest known single-source shortest path algorithm with time complexity of O(|E| + |V|log(|V|)), where |V| is the number of nodes and|E| is the number of edges in the graph. |
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| 10. |
Write an algorithm to find the maximum subarray sum for a given array. In other words, find the maximum sum that can be achieved by taking contiguous elements from a given array of integers. |
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Answer» Kadane's algorithm can be USED to find the maximum subarray sum for a given array. From left to right, Kadane's algorithm searches the provided array. It then computes the subarray with the largest sum ENDING at position j in the jth step, and this sum is stored in the variable "currentSum". Furthermore, it computes the subarray with the biggest sum anywhere in the subarray starting from the first position to the jth position, that is, in A[1...j], and stores it in the variable "bestSum". This is done by taking the maximum value of the variable "currentSum" till now and then storing it in the variable "bestSum". In the end, the value of "bestSum" is returned as the final answer to our problem. Formally, Kadane's algorithm can be stated as follows:
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| 11. |
Describe the bubble sort algorithm with the help of an example. |
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Answer» Bubble sort, also known as sinking sort, is a basic sorting algorithm that iterates through a list, COMPARING neighbouring elements and swapping them if they are out of order. The list is sent through again and again until it is SORTED. The comparison sort method is named from the manner that smaller or larger components "bubble" to the top of the list. This SIMPLISTIC method performs badly in real-world situations and is mostly used as a teaching aid. Let us take an example to understand how bubble sort works: Let us assume that the array to be sorted is (50 10 40 20 80). The various passes or rounds of bubble sort are given below:
The array is now sorted, but our algorithm is unsure whether it is complete. To know if the algorithm is sorted, it must complete one complete pass without any swaps.
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| 12. |
Describe the quick sort algorithm. |
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Answer» Quicksort is a sorting algorithm that is in place (in-place algorithm is an algorithm that transforms input using no auxiliary data structure). It was created by the British computer scientist Tony Hoare in 1959 and was published in 1961, and it is still a popular sorting algorithm. It can be somewhat quicker than MERGE sort and two or three times faster than heapsort when properly done. Quicksort is based on the divide and conquer algorithmic paradigm. It operates by picking a 'pivot' element from the array and separating the other elements into two subarrays based on whether they are greater or less than the pivot. As a result, it is also known as partition exchange sort. The subarrays are then recursively sorted. This can be done in place, with only a little amount of additional RAM (Random ACCESS Memory) required for sorting. Quicksort is a comparison sorting algorithm, which means it can sort objects of any type that have a "less-than" relation (technically, a total order) declared for them. Quicksort is not a stable sort, which means that the relative order of equal sort items is not retained in efficient implementations. Quicksort (like the partition METHOD) must be written in such a way that it can be called for a range within a bigger array, even if the end purpose is to sort the entire array, due to its recursive nature. The following are the steps for in-place quicksort:
Quicksort's mathematical analysis reveals that, on average, it takes O(nlog (n) time complexity to sort n items. In the worst-case scenario, it performs in time complexity of O(n^2).
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| 13. |
Describe the merge sort algorithm. |
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Answer» Merge sort (ALSO known as MERGESORT) is a general-purpose, comparison-based sorting algorithm developed in computer science. The majority of its implementations result in a stable sort, which indicates that the order of equal elements in the input and output is the same. In 1945, John von Neumann DEVISED the merge sort method, which is a divide and conquer algorithm. The following is how a merge sort WORKS conceptually:
The time complexity of the Merge Sort Algorithm is O(nlog(n)) where n is the size of the list of the elements to be sorted while the space complexity of the Merge Sort Algorithm is O(n), that is, linear space complexity. |
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| 14. |
What are few of the most widely used cryptographic algorithms? |
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Answer» A few of the most WIDELY used cryptographic ALGORITHMS are as follows: |
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| 15. |
How do the encryption algorithms work? |
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Answer» e process of transforming plaintext into a secret code format KNOWN as "Ciphertext'' is known as encryption. For calculations, this technique uses a string of bits known as "keys" to convert the text. The larger the key, the more POTENTIAL PATTERNS for producing ciphertext there are. The MAJORITY of encryption algorithms use fixed blocks of INPUT with lengths ranging from 64 to 128 bits, while others use the stream technique. |
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