Middle Node - codepath/compsci_guides GitHub Wiki
Unit 5 Session 1 (Click for link to problem statements)
U-nderstand
Understand what the interviewer is asking for by using test cases and questions about the problem.
- How does the insertion of a new node affect the existing structure of the linked list?
- The new node (middle) is placed between two existing nodes (head and tail), changing the
nextreferences to maintain the list order.
- The new node (middle) is placed between two existing nodes (head and tail), changing the
P-lan
Plan the solution with appropriate visualizations and pseudocode.
General Idea: Insert the middle node between head and tail by adjusting the next pointers to link all three nodes sequentially.
1) Create the `middle` node with a value of 150, initially linking it directly to `tail`.
2) Adjust the `next` pointer of the `head` node to point to the new `middle` node.
3) This establishes the order: head -> middle -> tail in the linked list.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Incorrectly setting the
nextpointers could disrupt the linked list's structure, either by skipping a node or creating a loop. - Not understanding the initial conditions from previous problems could lead to incorrect linking.
I-mplement
# Existing code
head = Node(100)
tail = Node(200)
head.next = tail
middle = Node(150, tail)
head.next = middle