What is the time complexity of deleting a node from a singly linked list given a

Practice Questions

Q1
What is the time complexity of deleting a node from a singly linked list given a pointer to that node?
  1. O(1)
  2. O(n)
  3. O(log n)
  4. O(n log n)

Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions

What is the time complexity of deleting a node from a singly linked list given a pointer to that node?
  • Step 1: Understand that a singly linked list consists of nodes, where each node has data and a pointer to the next node.
  • Step 2: When you want to delete a node, you need to have a pointer to that specific node.
  • Step 3: To delete the node, you cannot just remove it because you need to maintain the link to the next node.
  • Step 4: Instead of removing the node directly, copy the data from the next node into the node you want to delete.
  • Step 5: After copying the data, change the pointer of the current node to skip the next node, effectively removing it from the list.
  • Step 6: This process only involves a few pointer changes and data copying, which can be done in constant time.
  • Step 7: Therefore, the time complexity for deleting a node when you have a pointer to it is O(1).
No concepts available.
Soulshift Feedback ×

On a scale of 0–10, how likely are you to recommend The Soulshift Academy?

Not likely Very likely