Reverse Linked List Ii

To solve this coding challenge, we need to reverse a section of a linked list from position
left
to
right
. Here is a very detailed explanation and pseudocode for solving this problem:

Explanation

We begin by examining the given linked list and determining the section that needs to be reversed. The aim is to manipulate the pointers of the linked list nodes such that only the nodes between positions
left
and
right
are reversed, while the rest of the list remains unchanged.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

  1. Initialization : We employ a dummy node to simplify edge cases, such as reversing from the first node. The dummy node will initially point to the head of the list. We also initialize a pointer,
    prev
    , to traverse the list up to the node just before the
    left
    position.
  2. Traverse to the Start : Move
    prev
    to the node immediately before position
    left
    . Typically, this requires
    left-1
    moves from the dummy node.
  3. Reverse the Target Segment :
    • Use a pointer,
      current
      , which starts at the
      left
      position.
    • Perform multiple swaps to reverse the segment from
      left
      to
      right
      .
    • We achieve this by iterative pointer reassignments within the determined range, effectively reversing the required segment of the list.
  4. Complete the List : After the reversal segment, connect the reversed sublist back to the remaining parts of the list.
  5. Return the New Head : Finally, the new head of the modified list is the next node of the dummy node since the head node might have been changed during the reversal process.

Detailed Steps in Pseudocode

Below, we provide the pseudocode with detailed explanations embedded within the comments.
Pseudocode Steps:
                                            
# Define a function that accepts the head of the linked list and two integers, left and right
function reverseSection(head, left, right):
    # Create a dummy node that simplifies edge cases; the dummy node points to head initially
    dummy_node = new ListNode(0)
    dummy_node.next = head
    
    # Initialize a pointer, 'prev', to start from the dummy node
    prev_node = dummy_node

    # Move 'prev' to the node just before the 'left' position
    for i from 1 to left-1:
        prev_node = prev_node.next

    # 'current_node' points to the start of the segment to be reversed
    current_node = prev_node.next

    # Reverse the sublist from 'left' to 'right'
    for i from left to right-1:
        # Store the next node of 'current_node' temporarily
        next_node_temp = current_node.next
        
        # Adjust pointers to reverse the segment
        current_node.next = next_node_temp.next
        next_node_temp.next = prev_node.next
        prev_node.next = next_node_temp

    # Return the next node of dummy node, which is the new head of the list
    return dummy_node.next

# Example usage:
# head = [1,2,3,4,5], left = 2, right = 4
# Output should be [1,4,3,2,5]

                                        
By following these steps, you can reverse a specified part of a singly linked list while maintaining the order of the remaining elements. The solution is efficient, operating in O(n) time complexity, where n is the number of nodes in the linked list, and it uses O(1) additional space apart from the input list itself, as it only manipulates pointers within the list.