Find median in graph
Last updated: October 6, 2025
Quick Overview
Given a graph represented as an adjacency list, write a function to find the median value of the weights of all edges in the graph. The function should take the graph as input and return the median as a floating-point number, ensuring efficient handling of the edge weights.
Microsoft
October 6, 2025187
9
744 solved
Given a graph represented as an adjacency list, write a function to find the median value of the weights of all edges in the graph. The function should take the graph as input and return the median as a floating-point number, ensuring efficient handling of the edge weights.
Microsoft uses this problem in the Onsite 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
- How would you parallelize this solution?
- What happens if the input contains duplicates?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
To find the median of the edge weights in a graph represented as an adjacency list, we first need to extract all the edge weights from the graph structure. The median is defined as the middle value in...
Approach
- Extract Edge Weights: Iterate through the adjacency list and collect all edge weights into a single list. For example, if the graph is: {0: [(1, 3), (2, 5)], 1: [(0, 3)], 2: [(0, 5)]}, the edge...
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