DAY 47 Arrays and Strings: Reversing with Precision

Hello Everyone!

Day 2 of Week 10 was all about manipulating strings, focusing on reversing elements under specific constraints. String problems often require attention to detail and efficient handling of characters, and today’s tasks highlighted the importance of precision in problem-solving. It felt like untangling a web, one string at a time.

How the Day Played Out

1. Reverse Vowels of a String (Easy Difficulty)

   • Reverse only the vowels in a given string while keeping the other characters in place.
   • The Strategy:
     • Used two pointers: one starting at the beginning and the other at the end of the string.
     • Swapped vowels when both pointers pointed to them, moving inward until they met.
   • The Fun Part:
     • Watching the vowels shift positions without disturbing the rest of the string was satisfying—it felt like solving a sliding puzzle.

2. Reverse Words in a String (Medium Difficulty)

   • Reverse the order of words in a given string while removing extra spaces.
   • The Strategy:
     • Split the string into words, trimmed unnecessary spaces, and reversed the order of the words.
     • Built the result string by joining the reversed list with a single space between words.
   • The Fun Part:
     • Rearranging the words to form a meaningful reversed sequence felt like rephrasing a sentence for clarity.

What Made Today Special

1. Pointer Techniques:

   • Using two pointers in Reverse Vowels of a String emphasized the efficiency of this technique for targeted operations.

2. String Manipulation:

   • Both problems reinforced the importance of mastering string functions like splitting, trimming, and joining for effective manipulation.

3. Visualizing Changes:

   • Reversing vowels and rearranging words were intuitive tasks that became clearer when visualized step by step.

Key Takeaways

• Two Pointers Simplify Targeted Reversals:

  • Problems like Reverse Vowels of a String show how two-pointer techniques reduce complexity while maintaining clarity.

• String Functions Are Your Friends:

  • Leveraging built-in functions like split, strip, and join simplifies string manipulation tasks, as seen in Reverse Words in a String.

• Precision Matters:

  • Both problems required careful handling of constraints, ensuring vowels and words were manipulated without disrupting other elements.

Reflections

The Reverse Vowels of a String problem was a satisfying exercise in applying two-pointer techniques, while Reverse Words in a String tested my ability to structure and clean strings effectively. Together, these challenges highlighted the importance of precision and efficiency in string manipulation.

What’s Next?

Tomorrow, I’ll continue with Arrays and Strings, tackling Product of Array Except Self and Increasing Triplet Subsequence. These tasks will require careful handling of array relationships and constraints for optimal solutions.

Thank you for following along! Let’s keep solving, learning, and growing together.