Question 1

What is the key difference between Divide and Conquer and Dynamic Programming?

Accepted Answer

The key difference is that in Dynamic Programming, the subproblems are overlapping, meaning they are solved multiple times. DP stores the results of these subproblems to avoid re-computation. In Divide and Conquer, the subproblems are independent and do not overlap, so there is no need to store their results.

Question 2

Give an example of an algorithm for each paradigm.

Accepted Answer

A classic example of Divide and Conquer is Merge Sort, where the array is recursively divided into independent halves. A classic example of Dynamic Programming is the Fibonacci sequence calculation, where the value of fib(n) depends on fib(n-1) and fib(n-2), which are overlapping subproblems.

Divide and Conquer vs. Dynamic Programming

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