Detect anagram in matrix
Last updated: September 26, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a 2D matrix of characters, write a function to detect all occurrences of a specified anagram pattern within the matrix. The function should return the starting coordinates (row, column) of each occurrence of the anagram in the matrix. The input will consist of the matrix and the target anagram string, and the output should be a list of coordinate pairs representing the positions where the anagram can be found.
Atlassian
September 26, 20254
10
4,839 solved
Given a 2D matrix of characters, write a function to detect all occurrences of a specified anagram pattern within the matrix. The function should return the starting coordinates (row, column) of each occurrence of the anagram in the matrix. The input will consist of the matrix and the target anagram string, and the output should be a list of coordinate pairs representing the positions where the anagram can be found.
Coding interviews at Atlassian focus on problem-solving approach as much as the final solution. The interviewer wants to see you break down the problem, consider edge cases, and optimize iteratively. Communication throughout the process is key.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Quickly identify the optimal approach and its theoretical basis
- Handle complex algorithm design with multiple interacting components
- Write concise, elegant code under time pressure
- Prove correctness of your approach and discuss alternative solutions
- Optimize beyond the obvious: discuss constant factor improvements
- Address follow-up variations and explain how the solution generalizes
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
- How would you test this solution thoroughly?
- What if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem requires us to detect all occurrences of a specified anagram pattern within a 2D matrix of characters. An anagram is a rearrangement of characters, so we need to identify subsequences of c...
Approach
- Character Frequency Map: First, we build a frequency map for the target anagram. For example, for the target 'abc', the map would be
{'a': 1, 'b': 1, 'c': 1}. - *Sliding Window Across Rows...
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