Find connected components in array
Last updated: April 25, 2026
Quick Overview
Given an array of integers, find all the connected components, where a connected component is defined as a subset of elements that are directly or indirectly connected through adjacent indices. Return a list of these connected components, where each component is represented as an array of integers. The input will be a 1D array, and the output should be a 2D array containing the connected components.
Neon
April 25, 20261
6
2,552 solved
Given an array of integers, find all the connected components, where a connected component is defined as a subset of elements that are directly or indirectly connected through adjacent indices. Return a list of these connected components, where each component is represented as an array of integers. The input will be a 1D array, and the output should be a 2D array containing the connected components.
Coding interviews at Neon 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
- 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?
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
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Problem Analysis
In this problem, we need to identify connected components in a 1D array of integers. A connected component is defined as a subset of elements that are directly or indirectly connected through adjacent...
Approach
- Initialize an empty list to store the connected components.
- Create a boolean list to keep track of visited indices.
- Iterate through each index of the array:
- If the index has not been...
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