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?
  1. Depth First Search
  2. Breadth First Search
  3. Floyd's Cycle Detection
  4. 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.
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