Is it possible to check whether the given linked list is either NULL-terminated or endsin a cycle (cyclic)? Describe any method if exists and justify your answer
Question
Is it possible to check whether the given linked list is either NULL-terminated or endsin a cycle (cyclic)? Describe any method if exists and justify your answer
Solution
Yes, it is possible to check whether a given linked list is either NULL-terminated or ends in a cycle (cyclic). The method often used to determine this is called Floyd's Cycle-Finding Algorithm, also known as the "tortoise and the hare" algorithm.
Here are the steps of the algorithm:
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Initialize two pointers, slow and fast, at the head of the linked list.
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Move slow one step at a time, and fast two steps at a time.
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If the linked list is NULL-terminated (i.e., not cyclic), then the fast pointer (or the fast.next pointer for even length lists) will eventually become NULL, indicating the end of the list.
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If the linked list is cyclic, then at some point the fast pointer will meet the slow pointer again because it's going around in a cycle.
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If the two pointers meet, then the linked list is cyclic. If the fast pointer reaches NULL, then the linked list is NULL-terminated.
This algorithm works because if there is a cycle, the fast pointer will eventually catch up to the slow pointer while it's within the cycle. If there is no cycle, the fast pointer will reach the end of the list.
Similar Questions
Which of the following approaches is commonly used to detect a loop or cycle in a linked list? *1 pointa) Using a hash table to store visited nodesb) Using the Floyd's cycle-finding algorithm (slow and fast pointers)c) Modifying the data part of each node to store a flagd) Traversing the list and checking for null at the end
A linked list is said to contain a cycle if any node is visited more than once while traversing the list. Given a pointer to the head of a linked list, determine if it contains a cycle. If it does, return . Otherwise, return .Example refers to the list of nodes The numbers shown are the node numbers, not their data values. There is no cycle in this list so return . refers to the list of nodes There is a cycle where node 3 points back to node 1, so return .Function DescriptionComplete the has_cycle function in the editor below.It has the following parameter:SinglyLinkedListNode pointer head: a reference to the head of the listReturnsint: if there is a cycle or if there is notNote: If the list is empty, will be null.Input FormatThe code stub reads from stdin and passes the appropriate argument to your function. The custom test cases format will not be described for this question due to its complexity. Expand the section for the main function and review the code if you would like to figure out how to create a custom case.ConstraintsSample InputReferences to each of the following linked lists are passed as arguments to your function:Sample Output01ExplanationThe first list has no cycle, so return .The second list has a cycle, so return .
Which type of linked list has its last node pointing back to the first node?a.Singly linked listb.Circular linked listc.Linear linked listd.Doubly linked list
How would you detect a cycle in a linked list using Floyd’s Cycle-Finding Algorithm?Use a hash table to store visited nodesUse two pointers that move at different speedsSort the linked listCompare each node with all other nodes
A linked list whose last node points back to both the head node and the previous node instead of containing the null pointer ____________
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