Design a Set with $O(1)$ `insert`, `remove`, and `getRandom`
Design a data structure that supports inserting a value, removing a value, and getting a random element, all in $O(1)$ average time. This requires combining an Array and a Hash Map.
Why Interviewers Ask This
Google interviewers ask this to evaluate your ability to balance time and space complexity trade-offs. They specifically test if you understand that Arrays provide O(1) random access while Hash Maps offer O(1) lookups, but neither alone supports efficient removal from the middle without shifting elements or scanning. This question probes your depth in combining data structures to solve constraints that a single structure cannot handle.
How to Answer This Question
Key Points to Cover
- Explicitly stating the need to swap the target element with the last element during removal
- Explaining how the hash map tracks indices to allow O(1) lookup after the swap
- Clarifying that duplicates are typically excluded in standard set implementations
- Acknowledging the distinction between worst-case O(1) and average O(1) due to hash collisions
- Demonstrating awareness of space complexity being linear relative to the number of elements
Sample Answer
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Attempting to remove an element by shifting all subsequent items in the array, resulting in O(n) removal time
- Using only a hash map without an array, which makes retrieving a random element inefficient as it requires iterating keys
- Failing to update the hash map when swapping elements, leading to incorrect indices and runtime errors
- Overlooking edge cases like removing the last element or inserting into an empty set without proper checks
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