Reverse Linked List Ii
To solve this coding challenge, we need to reverse a section of a linked list from position
to
. Here is a very detailed explanation and pseudocode for solving this problem:
and
are reversed, while the rest of the list remains unchanged.
left
right
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 positionsleft
right
Step-by-Step Explanation:
-
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
left
-
Traverse to the Start
: Move
prev
left
left-1
- Reverse the Target Segment :
-
Use a pointer,
current
left
-
Perform multiple swaps to reverse the segment from
left
right
- We achieve this by iterative pointer reassignments within the determined range, effectively reversing the required segment of the list.
- Complete the List : After the reversal segment, connect the reversed sublist back to the remaining parts of the list.
- 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.