Which algorithm is used to detect a cycle in a linked list?
Practice Questions
Q1
Which algorithm is used to detect a cycle in a linked list?
Depth First Search
Breadth First Search
Floyd's Cycle Detection
Dijkstra's Algorithm
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
Which algorithm is used to detect a cycle in a linked list?
Step 1: Understand what a linked list is. A linked list is a data structure where each element (node) points to the next one.
Step 2: Know what a cycle in a linked list means. A cycle occurs when a node points back to a previous node instead of pointing to null.
Step 3: Learn about Floyd's Cycle Detection algorithm. This algorithm uses two pointers: one slow (tortoise) and one fast (hare).
Step 4: Start both pointers at the head of the linked list. The slow pointer moves one step at a time, while the fast pointer moves two steps at a time.
Step 5: Continue moving the pointers until they either meet (indicating a cycle) or the fast pointer reaches the end of the list (indicating no cycle).
Step 6: If the slow and fast pointers meet, it means there is a cycle in the linked list.