Data Structures & Algorithms

Data Structures & Algorithms

A comprehensive guide to DSA concepts for coding interviews and competitive programming.


📚 Topics

Data Structures

File Description
Arrays Array operations, techniques, and common problems
Strings String manipulation and algorithms
Linked List Singly, doubly linked lists and operations
Stack Stack operations and applications
Matrix 2D array operations and traversals

Algorithms & Techniques

File Description
Algorithms Sorting, searching, and core algorithms
Dynamic Programming DP patterns, memoization, tabulation
Bit Manipulation Bitwise operations and tricks
Math Mathematical concepts and number theory
Patterns Star patterns and printing problems

🎯 Key Concepts

Time Complexity Cheat Sheet

Complexity Name Example
O(1) Constant Array access
O(log n) Logarithmic Binary search
O(n) Linear Linear search
O(n log n) Linearithmic Merge sort
O(n²) Quadratic Bubble sort
O(2ⁿ) Exponential Recursive Fibonacci

Space Complexity

Type Description
In-place O(1) extra space
Linear O(n) extra space
Recursive O(n) call stack

📖 Learning Path

  1. Arrays & Strings - Master the fundamentals
  2. Linked Lists & Stacks - Understand pointer manipulation
  3. Recursion & Backtracking - Build problem-solving intuition
  4. Sorting & Searching - Learn classic algorithms
  5. Dynamic Programming - Optimize with memoization
  6. Bit Manipulation - Efficient low-level operations

💡 Problem-Solving Tips

  1. Understand the problem - Read carefully, identify constraints
  2. Think of examples - Work through small test cases
  3. Brute force first - Get a working solution
  4. Optimize - Identify bottlenecks, apply patterns
  5. Edge cases - Empty input, single element, duplicates