Implement Union Find with in-place

Last updated: February 27, 2026

Quick Overview

Implement a Union Find data structure that supports insert, delete, and lookup operations in O(log n) time.

Oracle
Coding & Algorithms
Machine Learning Engineer
Oracle
February 27, 2026
Machine Learning Engineer
Take-home Project
Coding & Algorithms
Easy

31

13

454 solved


Implement a Union Find data structure that supports insert, delete, and lookup operations in O(log n) time.

Oracle uses this problem in the Take-home Project 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
  • 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
Binary search and divide and conquer
Edge cases and input validation
Hash maps and frequency counting
Graph algorithms and traversal
Time and space complexity analysis
Sorting and searching
How to Approach This
  1. Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
  2. Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
  3. Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
  4. Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
  5. Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
  • How would you parallelize this solution?
  • What is the worst-case input for your solution?
  • Can you solve this iteratively instead of recursively (or vice versa)?
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