Thursday, May 24, 2007

How would you detect a loop in a linked list? Write a C program to detect a loop in a linked list.

This is also one of the classic interview questions
There are multiple answers to this problem. Here are a few C programs to attack this problem.


Brute force method
Have a double loop, where you check the node pointed to by the outer loop, with every node of the inner loop.

typedef struct node

{

void *data;

struct node *next;

}mynode;


mynode * find_loop(NODE * head)

{

mynode *current = head;

while(current->next != NULL)

{

mynode *temp = head;

while(temp->next != NULL && temp != current)

{

if(current->next == temp)

{

printf("\nFound a loop.");

return current;

}

temp = temp->next;

}

current = current->next;

}

return NULL;

}


Visited flag
Have a visited flag in each node of the linked list. Flag it as visited when you reach the node. When you reach a node and the flag is already flagged as visited, then you know there is a loop in the linked list.

Fastest method
Have 2 pointers to start of the linked list. Increment one pointer by 1 node and the other by 2 nodes. If there's a loop, the 2nd pointer will meet the 1st pointer somewhere. If it does, then you know there's one.

Here is some code
p=head;

q=head->next;
while(p!=NULL && q!=NULL)

{

if(p==q) { //Loop detected! exit(0); }

p=p->next;

q=(q->next)?(q->next->next):q->next;

}
// No loop.

56 comments:

Baikunta Sahu said...

i think the first way is more efficient if u know the location of the data especially if the data is on the very first in the node and also its is very useful only when there is alto of data ...
but second method is always welcome....

Anonymous said...

I think, first method will work only if the list is circular (ring). Otherwise, inner loop will never terminated if there is loop.

Second method is fine, if you are allowed to change the structure, I mean put the flag into linked list structure.

Third method is just superb and will work perfectly fine. Can someone put some light on the running time of third method ? It should work in O(N) time according to me but I am not sure. Please post your comment

Unknown said...

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Anonymous said...

FOR DELETING A LOOP IN A SINGLY LINKED LIST:
Keep a third pointer at the head.
Once the first two pointers have met, ie., a loop has been detected, freeze the first pointer, and let the 2nd one start circling around. For each circle that it meets the first pointer again without meeting the 3rd pointer, move the 3rd pointer to the next node. When the firstPtr->next() is equal the 3rd pointer, set firstPtr->next() to null.

andy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

The first method will never work. It will work only if it is a circular link list.

The second method is fine. But only if interviewer allows us to change the structure.

The third method also has flaws.

consider a list as mentioned below.

n1-->n2-->n3-->n4-->n5-->n6-->n7-->n2

The third program will not work in this looped link list.

One brute force method is if you know number of elements in a linked list, then declare array of that size and push node address into array. Now with every next, check if it is already in array. If yes, it is a loop. But then its performance should be horrible.

I think only best way is visited node (ie) approach 2.

Anonymous said...

I wonder why the third program would not work with the case you provided
The following is the order in which the nodes are traversed and they meet in just 6 steps.
1 2
2 4
3 6
4 2
5 4
6 6

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Anonymous said...

Navaneetha, why do you think the third method won't work?? Can you try it?

Anonymous said...

Fwiw I've had this question for an SDE/T interview at Microsoft, and the 3rd solution was accepted as valid.

Anonymous said...

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Ritwik Banerjee said...

Navaneetha's argument is incorrect. The third method will always work. In fact, it is a famous algorithm known as Floyd's Cycle Detection Algorithm. With you given code, however, you won't be able to extend it to detect the beginning of the cycle. Usually I ask the extension question in the interview because this loop detection almost everybody knows, but very few have the ability to extend the code to detect the start of the loop.

Azeem Nawaz said...

I did not understand third method completely. what does the line with ? sign means?
Thanks.

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