Problem Solving Strategies

Question 1

What is the difference between Brute Force and Divide & Conquer?

Answer 1

Brute Force checks all cases, Divide & Conquer splits into subproblems.

Question 2

How do you decide whether to use BFS or DFS?

Answer 2

BFS is better for shortest paths; DFS is better for tree traversal.

Question 2

When should you use Greedy instead of Dynamic Programming?

Answer 2

Greedy makes immediate decisions; DP considers future consequences.

Question 3

How do you optimize a recursive function to avoid stack overflow?

Answer 3

Use Tail Recursion or convert to iteration.

Question 4

How do you approach a problem when no obvious algorithm applies?

Answer 4

Start with brute force, analyze constraints, refine approach.

Question 5

How do you decide which data structure to use in a problem?

Answer 5

Consider operations’ time complexity and problem constraints.

Question 6

What is the Engineering Method?

Answer 6

Explore - identify, Brainstorm - consider solutions, Plan - choose best option, Implement, Verify - TEST!

Question 7

What kind of solution should you think about when you here “optimal”, “minimization”, or is an interval or event scheduling platform?

Answer 7

GREEDY

Question 8

When is topological sort useful? (Kahns Algo)

Answer 8

Task scheduling (e.g., prerequisites in course scheduling)
Dependency resolution (e.g., package managers like npm, pip)
Compiling dependencies in a build system
Deadlock detection (e.g., circular dependencies)