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Linked List
It takes us
O(N)
time on average to visit an element by index
, where N is the length of the linked list.If we want to add a new value after a given node
prev
, we should:Initialize a new node
cur
with the given value;Link the "next" field of
cur
to prev's next node next
;Link the "next" field in
prev
to cur
.O(1) time, space complexity
So it is essential to update
head
when adding a new node at the beginning of the list.- 1.Initialize a new node
cur
; - 2.Link the new node to our original head node
head
. - 3.Assign
cur
tohead
.
// Definition for doubly-linked list.
class DoublyListNode {
int val;
DoublyListNode next, prev;
DoublyListNode(int x) {val = x;}
}
Based on Java, Singly Linked List
class ListNode {
int val;
ListNode next;
ListNode(int x) { val = x; }
}
iterative
public ListNode reverseList(ListNode head) {
ListNode prev = null;
while (head != null) {
ListNode next = head.next;
head.next = prev;
prev = head;
head = next;
}
return prev;
}
public ListNode reverseList(ListNode head) {
ListNode prev = null;
ListNode curr = head;
while (curr != null) {
ListNode nextTemp = curr.next;
curr.next = prev;
prev = curr;
curr = nextTemp;
}
return prev;
}
recursive
public ListNode reverseList(ListNode head) {
if (head == null || head.next == null) return head;
ListNode p = reverseList(head.next);
head.next.next = head;
head.next = null;
return p;
}
ListNode newHead;
public ListNode reverseList(ListNode head) {
if (head == null) {
return null;
}
return reverseUtil(head, null);
}
ListNode reverseUtil(ListNode curr, ListNode prev) {
/* If last node mark it head*/
if (curr.next == null) {
newHead = curr;
/* Update next to prev node */
curr.next = prev;
return newHead;
}
/* Save curr->next node for recursive call */
ListNode next = curr.next;
/* and update next ..*/
curr.next = prev;
reverseUtil(next, curr);
return newHead;
}
If there are two middle nodes, return the second middle node.
/**
* Definition for singly-linked list.
* public class ListNode {
* int val;
* ListNode next;
* ListNode(int x) { val = x; }
* }
*/
class Solution {
public ListNode middleNode(ListNode head) {
ListNode slow = head;
ListNode fast = head;
while (fast != null && fast.next != null) {
slow = slow.next;
fast = fast.next.next;
}
return slow;
}
}
If there are two middle nodes, return the first middle node.
public ListNode findMiddle(ListNode head) {
ListNode fast = head;
ListNode slow = head.next;
while (fast != null && fast.next != null) {
slow = slow.next;
fast = fast.next.next;
}
return slow;
}
ListNode fast = head;
for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
fast = fast.next;
if (fast == null) {
return null;
}
}
ListNode dummy = new ListNode(Integer.MIN_VALUE);
ListNode current = dummy;
...
while (current != null) {
...
current.next = blahblahblah;
...
current = current.next;
}
...
return dummy.next;
Iterative
public ListNode mergeTwoLists(ListNode l1, ListNode l2) {
ListNode dummy = new ListNode(0);
ListNode lastNode = dummy;
while (l1 != null && l2 != null) {
if (l1.val < l2.val) {
lastNode.next = l1;
l1 = l1.next;
} else {
lastNode.next = l2;
l2 = l2.next;
}
lastNode = lastNode.next;
}
if (l1 != null) {
lastNode.next = l1;
} else {
lastNode.next = l2;
}
return dummy.next;
}
/**
* Definition for singly-linked list.
* public class ListNode {
* int val;
* ListNode next;
* ListNode(int x) { val = x; }
* }
*/
class Solution {
public ListNode mergeTwoLists(ListNode l1, ListNode l2) {
ListNode dummy = new ListNode(0);
ListNode p = dummy;
while (l1 != null || l2 != null) {
if (l1 == null) {
p.next = l2;
break;
}
if (l2 == null) {
p.next = l1;
break;
}
if (l1.val < l2.val) {
p.next = l1;
l1 = l1.next;
} else {
p.next = l2;
l2 = l2.next;
}
p = p.next;
}
return dummy.next;
}
}
Recursive
public ListNode mergeTwoLists(ListNode l1, ListNode l2) {
if (l1 == null) return l2;
if (l2 == null) return l1;
if (l1.val < l2.val) {
l1.next = mergeTwoLists(l1.next, l2);
return l1;
} else {
l2.next = mergeTwoLists(l1, l2.next);
return l2;
}
}
Remove all elements from a linked list of integers that have value val.
Iterative
public ListNode removeElements(ListNode head, int val) {
ListNode dummy = new ListNode(0);
dummy.next = head;
ListNode curr = head;
ListNode prev = dummy;
while (curr != null) {
if (curr.val == val) {
prev.next = curr.next;
} else {
prev = prev.next;
}
curr = curr.next;
}
return dummy.next;
}
Recursive
public ListNode removeElements(ListNode head, int val) {
if (head == null) return null;
head.next = removeElements(head.next, val);
return head.val == val ? head.next : head;
}
public Boolean hasCycle(ListNode head) {
if (head == null || head.next == null) {
return false;
}
ListNode fast, slow;
fast = head.next;
slow = head;
while (fast != slow) {
if(fast==null || fast.next==null)
return false;
fast = fast.next.next;
slow = slow.next;
}
return true;
}
For Linked List, we can use two-pointer technique:
Two pointers aremoved at different speed
: one is faster while another one might be slower.
The scenario, which is also called
slow-pointer and fast-pointer technique
, is really useful.Detect Cycles in Linked List
If there is no cycle, the fast pointer will stop at the end of the linked list.
If there is a cycle, the fast pointer will eventually meet with the slow pointer.
The proper speed for the two pointers?
Slow pointer - One step at a time
Fast pointer - Two steps at a time
// Initialize slow & fast pointers
ListNode slow = head;
ListNode fast = head;
/**
* Change this condition to fit specific problem.
* Attention: remember to avoid null-pointer error
**/
while (slow != null && fast != null && fast.next != null) {
slow = slow.next; // move slow pointer one step each time
fast = fast.next.next; // move fast pointer two steps each time
if (slow == fast) { // change this condition to fit specific problem
return true;
}
}
return false; // change return value to fit specific problem
Tips
1. Always examine if the node is null before you call the next field.
总是检查节点是否为null,否则node.next会导致null-pointer错误
Getting the next node of a null node will cause the null-pointer error. For example, before we run
fast = fast.next.next
, we need to examine both fast
and fast.next
is not null.2. Carefully define the end conditions of your loop.
仔细检查循环结束的条件,避免出现死循环
Run several examples to make sure your end conditions will not result in an endless loop. And you have to take our first tip into consideration when you define your end conditions.


Reverse List in Java
Here we provide a comparison of
time complexity
between the linked list and other data structures includingarray, queue and stack:
After this comparison, it is not difficult to come up with our conclusion:
If you need to add or delete a node frequently, a linked list could be a good choice.If you need to access an element by index often, an array might be a better choice than a linked list.
Last modified 3yr ago