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Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns

Circular Array Loop

Explore how to detect cycles in circular arrays where each element's value directs movement. Understand applying fast and slow pointers to identify repeating sequences of indexes with consistent sign values, aiding in solving complex coding interview problems efficiently.

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Statement

There is a circular list of non-zero integers called nums. Each number in the list tells you how many steps to move forward or backward from your current position:

  • If nums[i] is positive, move nums[i] steps forward.

  • If nums[i] is negative, move nums[i] steps backward.

As the list is circular:

  • Moving forward from the last element takes you back to the first element.

  • Moving backward from the first element takes you to the last element.

A cycle in this list means:

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