Implement Union Find with O(n) time
Last updated: July 19, 2025
Quick Overview
Implement a LRU Cache data structure that supports insert, delete, and lookup operations in O(n) time.
Coinbase
July 19, 20258
3
1,135 solved
Implement a LRU Cache data structure that supports insert, delete, and lookup operations in O(n) time.
Coding interviews at Coinbase 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 if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
- How would you parallelize this solution?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem requires us to implement a Least Recently Used (LRU) Cache that can efficiently handle insert, delete, and lookup operations. The key requirement here is to ensure that all operations run ...
Approach
- Data Structures: Use a dictionary to map keys to their corresponding values and a list to maintain the order of keys based on their usage. The list will allow us to easily track the least recen...
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