How do you solve Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome on LeetCode?

Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome (LeetCode #1616) can be solved using Brute Force or Optimal Solution. The optimal approach is Optimal Solution with O(n) time complexity and O(n) space complexity. Key insight: Understanding palindromes is crucial; they read the same forwards and backwards.

What is the brute force solution for Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome?

The brute force approach for Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome is Brute Force, with O(n²) time complexity and O(1) space complexity. The brute force approach involves checking every possible split of both strings and verifying if either concatenation forms a palindrome. This is straightforward but inefficient. The optimal Optimal Solution approach improves this to O(n).

What algorithm or data structure is used to solve Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome?

Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome uses the following concepts: Two Pointers, String. The recommended patterns to study are: Two Pointers, String Manipulation.

What are the interview tips for Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome?

Always clarify the problem and ask about edge cases. Explain your thought process as you work through the problem. Consider both brute force and optimized approaches; interviewers appreciate seeing your thought process.

What are common mistakes when solving Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome?

Not considering edge cases where one string is empty. Failing to check both concatenation orders.

#1616

Split Two Strings to Make Palindrome

Medium

Two PointersStringTwo PointersString Manipulation

LeetCode ↗

Approaches

Brute ForceOptimal

Complexity Comparison

	Brute Force	Optimal Solution★
Time	O(n²)	O(n)
Space	O(1)	O(n)

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Intuition

Time O(n)Space O(n)

The optimal approach leverages the properties of palindromes by checking the longest matching prefix of one string with the suffix of the other. This reduces unnecessary checks and speeds up the process.

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Algorithm

4 steps

1Step 1: Define a helper function to check if a substring is a palindrome.
2Step 2: Check for each possible split index if the prefix of one string matches the suffix of the other.
3Step 3: If a match is found, check if the remaining parts form a palindrome.
4Step 4: Return true if any valid split forms a palindrome; otherwise, return false.

solution.py8 lines

1def isPalindrome(s): return s == s[::-1]
2
3def checkPalindromeFormation(a, b):
4    n = len(a)
5    for i in range(n + 1):
6        if a[:i] == b[-i:][::-1] or b[:i] == a[-i:][::-1]:
7            return True
8    return False

ℹ

Complexity note: The time complexity is O(n) because we only iterate through the strings once, checking for matching prefixes and suffixes. The space complexity is O(n) due to the string manipulations.

1Understanding palindromes is crucial; they read the same forwards and backwards.
2Matching prefixes and suffixes can significantly reduce the number of checks needed.

Solutions and explanations are original Tejav content. Problem titles © LeetCode — use the LeetCode button above for the full problem statement.