Solution: Find the Difference
Explore how to identify the index of an extra character present in one of two strings using bitwise XOR. Understand the XOR property's role in canceling matched characters and isolating the unmatched one. Gain skills to implement and optimize this solution with linear time complexity and constant space.
Statement
Given two strings, str1 and str2, find the index of the extra character that is present in only one of the strings.
Note: If multiple instances of the extra character exist, return the index of the first occurrence of the character in the longer string.
Constraints:
-
str1.length,str2.length - Either
str2.lengthstr1.length + 1, or,str1.length