DSA Pattern: Fast and Slow Pointer
Detect cycles and find midpoints efficiently
Pattern Overview
When to Use
- Cycle detection in linked lists
- Finding middle of linked list
- Duplicate number detection
- Happy number check
Benefits
- O(n) time
- O(1) space
- No extra data structure
- Works on cyclic structures
Example Problems
Linked List Cycle
Detect if cycle exists
Middle of Linked List
Find the middle node
Find Duplicate Number
No modification, O(1) space
Practice Exercises
Step-by-step solutions, code implementations, and visualization diagrams will be available here soon.