Find connected components in string
Last updated: May 16, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a string consisting of lowercase letters, identify and return all the connected components, where a connected component is defined as a group of characters that are adjacent to each other in the string. The output should be a list of these components, with each component represented as a string. For example, in the input "aabbccdde", the connected components would be ["aa", "bb", "cc", "dd", "e"].
Lyft
May 16, 20265
15
1,637 solved
Given a string consisting of lowercase letters, identify and return all the connected components, where a connected component is defined as a group of characters that are adjacent to each other in the string. The output should be a list of these components, with each component represented as a string. For example, in the input "aabbccdde", the connected components would be ["aa", "bb", "cc", "dd", "e"].
Lyft uses this problem in the Phone Screen 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
- Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
- Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
- Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
- Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
- Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
- Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
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 solve this in a single pass?
- Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
Sharpen Your Skills on Codemia
Practice similar problems with our interactive workspace, get AI feedback, and track your progress.
Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
In this problem, we are tasked with finding connected components in a string, where a connected component is defined as a group of adjacent characters that are the same. The pattern that applies here ...
Approach
- Initialize an empty list to store the connected components.
- Use a pointer to traverse the string, starting from the first character.
- For each character, check how many times it appears consec...
Submit Your Answer
