TIP102 Unit 1 Session 2 Standard (Click for link to problem statements)
Understand what the interviewer is asking for by using test cases and questions about the problem.
- Established a set (2-3) of test cases to verify their own solution later.
- Established a set (1-2) of edge cases to verify their solution handles complexities.
- Have fully understood the problem and have no clarifying questions.
- Have you verified any Time/Space Constraints for this problem?
Example 1:
HAPPY CASE
Input: "robin"
Output: "ribon"
Example 2:
Input: "BATgirl"
Output: "BiTgArl"
Example 3:
Input: "batman"
Output: "batman" (no change as there is a single, unique vowel)
Edge Cases:
Empty string input should return an empty string.
A string with no vowels should return the same string.
Plan the solution with appropriate visualizations and pseudocode.
General Idea: The solution to reversing vowels in a string involves using the two-pointers technique. Convert the string to a list to allow in-place modifications, then initialize two pointers at the start and end of the list. Traverse inward, swapping vowels when found, and keep non-vowel characters in place. Finally, convert the modified list back to a string and return it. This approach ensures an efficient reversal of vowels while maintaining the original order of non-vowel characters.
1.Convert the input string to a list to allow mutable operations.
2. Initialize two pointers: left at the start of the list and right at the end of the list.
3. Use a set to store vowels for quick lookup.
4. While left is less than right:
Move left pointer to the right until a vowel is found.
Move right pointer to the left until a vowel is found.
Swap the vowels at the left and right pointers.
Move both pointers inward.
5. Convert the list back to a string and return it.
⚠️ Common Mistakes
Implement the code to solve the algorithm.
def reverse_vowels(s):
vowels = set("aeiouAEIOU")
s_list = list(s)
left, right = 0, len(s) - 1
while left < right:
while left < right and s_list[left] not in vowels:
left += 1
while left < right and s_list[right] not in vowels:
right -= 1
s_list[left], s_list[right] = s_list[right], s_list[left]
left += 1
right -= 1
return ''.join(s_list)