Feature #2: Merge Tweets In Twitter Feed
Explore how to merge two chronologically sorted arrays representing tweets into one sorted Twitter feed. Understand the step-by-step pointer technique to solve this problem efficiently with constant space. Gain hands-on knowledge of manipulating sorted data arrays, improving your skills in solving real-world algorithm challenges relevant for coding interviews.
We'll cover the following...
Description
For the next feature, you have to implement a module that adds a user’s Tweets into an already populated Twitter feed in chronological order. Let’s assume that userA just started following userB. At this point, we want userB's Tweets to show up in userA's Twitter feed. We already have a chronologically sorted array of Tweets that will appear on userA's feed. Your job is to merge it with the array of userB's Tweets, which are also chronologically sorted.
As input, you will be given two sorted integer arrays, feed and tweets. The integers represent the posting time of the Tweets. You are also given the number of elements initialized in both of the arrays, which are m and n, respectively.
Note: Assume that
feedhas a size equal tom + nsuch that it has enough space to hold additional elements fromtweets.
Solution
We can solve this problem by comparing both arrays from the end and populating the result in the feed array. Take a look at the complete algorithm below:
-
First, we will initialize two pointers,
p1andp2, that ...