Engineering Interview: Improve Problem-Solving in Python!

Explains how to check palindromes in Python by reversing a string and comparing it to the original, including implementing a custom reverse function.

Delete duplicates from an array with a simple pass that builds a unique result. Improve performance with a dictionary for faster average-case, or a balanced tree for n log n.

Count characters in a string by building a frequency dictionary and updating counts for each character. Improve readability with a defaultdict and explore using dict.get to handle missing keys efficiently.

Check if the first list is a subset of the second by testing each element. Improve to linear time by turning the second list into a dictionary for fast checks.

Shows how to print random elements from a Python list by selecting index in 0 to length-1, printing it, then removing it with delete or by overwriting with last element.

Learn to reverse a two dimensional matrix in place by first reversing rows and then reversing each row, using Python lists and understanding immutability and matrix references.

Find a contiguous sublist that sums to a given value in Python using a two-pointer approach on a positive array. Return the indices or -1 if no solution.

Learn to locate the missing number in an array of 1 to n using a simple linear scan, a sorted-array check, and a recursion-based divide-and-conquer approach for large inputs.

Develop a parentheses checker using a left-parentheses counter to verify strings have properly closed parentheses, never more right than left, and end with zero left parentheses.

Count the number of leaves in a binary search tree with a recursive function, defining leaves as nodes with no children, and discuss time complexity in terms of node count.

Count leaves in a tree using a loop instead of recursion, by iterating nodes, adding left and right children, and counting leaves when a node has no children.

Compute a binary tree height by recursively taking 1 plus the maximum of left and right subtree heights. Handle leaves, single-child cases, and empty trees, and trace values with prints.

Assess two binary search trees for identity with an iterative, non-recursive traversal that compares corresponding nodes and their left and right children, and verify complete equality.

Learn how to extract and sum all numbers embedded in a string using a Python function that accumulates digits into numbers and adds them to a total, handling multi-digit integers.

Learn to compute the max sum of a subarray by partitioning at negatives, tracking start/end indices, and handling edge cases like empty or all-negative arrays.