Find shortest distance in linked list
Last updated: February 16, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a interval list, find the minimum cost efficiently using Sliding Window.
Supabase
February 16, 202616
13
4,010 solved
Given a interval list, find the minimum cost efficiently using Sliding Window.
This coding problem is frequently asked during Phone Screen at Supabase. The interviewer is testing your ability to translate a problem into clean, working code while discussing time and space complexity. Supabase expects candidates to write production-quality code, not just solve the puzzle.
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?
- How would you modify your solution to handle streaming input?
- How would your solution change if the input was sorted?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem involves finding the minimum cost to cover a series of intervals. Given the nature of the problem, the sliding window technique is appropriate here because we can maintain a window of inte...
Approach
- Sort the Intervals: First, we need to sort the intervals based on their start times. This helps in efficiently managing the current set of overlapping intervals. For instance, if we have interv...
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