Validate grid balanced
Last updated: May 6, 2026
Quick Overview
Given a 2D grid of integers, write a function to determine if the grid is balanced. A grid is considered balanced if the sum of the elements in each row is equal to the sum of the elements in each column. The function should return a boolean value indicating whether the grid is balanced or not.
Jane Street
May 6, 2026392
7
2,893 solved
Given a 2D grid of integers, write a function to determine if the grid is balanced. A grid is considered balanced if the sum of the elements in each row is equal to the sum of the elements in each column. The function should return a boolean value indicating whether the grid is balanced or not.
Jane Street uses this problem in the Technical 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
- 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
- How would you test this solution thoroughly?
- What is the worst-case input for your solution?
- How would you parallelize this 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
To determine if a grid is balanced, we need to compare the sums of each row to the sums of each column. This problem can be approached using a straightforward iteration since the task involves aggrega...
Approach
- Initialize two lists:
row_sumsandcol_sums, both with the size equal to the number of rows and columns, respectively. - Iterate through each element of the grid using nested loops. For each e...
Submit Your Answer
