Linked Lists

Floyd's Cycle Detection

The 'Tortoise and Hare' algorithm provides an elegant O(n) time and O(1) space solution for detecting cycles in linked lists. A must-know for interviews.

Linked List Cycle Detection

This implementation uses a slow and a fast pointer to determine if a linked list has a cycle. If the pointers meet, a cycle exists.

function hasCycle(head) { let slow = head; let fast = head; while (fast && fast.next) { slow = slow.next; fast = fast.next.next; if (slow === fast) { return true; } } return false; }
AI Coach Hint: The condition `fast && fast.next` is crucial. It prevents errors when the list is empty, has one node, or when the fast pointer reaches the end of a non-cyclic list. This check ensures `fast.next.next` is safe to access.

Related Algorithm Guides

Explore more algorithm interview guides powered by AI coaching

Bellman Ford Algorithm Interview Questions
AI-powered interview preparation guide
Floyd Warshall Algorithm Interview Questions
AI-powered interview preparation guide
Greedy Algorithms Vs Dynamic Programming Interview
AI-powered interview preparation guide
Prims Algorithm Interview Questions
AI-powered interview preparation guide