Detect anagram in matrix
Last updated: November 25, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a 2D matrix of characters and a string, write a function to detect all occurrences of the anagram of the string within the matrix. The function should return the starting coordinates (row, column) of each occurrence in the matrix. The solution should efficiently search through the matrix while considering all possible orientations of the anagram.
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November 25, 2025204
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Given a 2D matrix of characters and a string, write a function to detect all occurrences of the anagram of the string within the matrix. The function should return the starting coordinates (row, column) of each occurrence in the matrix. The solution should efficiently search through the matrix while considering all possible orientations of the anagram.
Zoom uses this problem in the Take-home Project to evaluate your algorithmic thinking. They expect you to discuss multiple approaches, analyze trade-offs between them, and implement the optimal solution with clean, readable code.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Identify the correct data structure and algorithm for the problem
- Write clean, bug-free code with proper variable naming
- Analyze time and space complexity correctly
- Handle basic edge cases (empty input, single element)
- Communicate your thought process while coding
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
- Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
- Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
- Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
- Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
To detect anagrams in a 2D matrix of characters, we can utilize the frequency counting pattern. An anagram is defined as a rearrangement of the characters of a string, so the frequency of each cha...
Approach
- Character Frequency Count: First, create a frequency count of the characters in the target string. For example, for the string 'abc', the frequency dictionary would be `{'a': 1, 'b': 1, 'c': 1}...
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