Min Stack Design in DSA Go - Interactive Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to push a value onto the stack.

DSA Go

func (s *MinStack) Push(val int) {
    s.stack = append(s.stack, val)
    if len(s.minStack) == 0 || val [1] s.minStack[len(s.minStack)-1] {
        s.minStack = append(s.minStack, val)
    } else {
        s.minStack = append(s.minStack, s.minStack[len(s.minStack)-1])
    }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A>=

B<=

C==

D>

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '>' instead of '<=' causes incorrect minimum tracking.

Not handling empty minStack leads to errors.

We push the new value onto minStack if it is less than or equal to the current minimum to keep track of the minimum value.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to pop a value from the stack.

DSA Go

func (s *MinStack) Pop() {
    if len(s.stack) == 0 {
        return
    }
    s.stack = s.stack[:len(s.stack)[1]1]
    s.minStack = s.minStack[:len(s.minStack)[1]1]
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-

B+

C*

D/

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '+' causes runtime errors.

Using '*' or '/' is invalid for slicing.

To pop, we reduce the slice length by 1 using slicing with minus 1.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the GetMin method to return the current minimum.

DSA Go

func (s *MinStack) GetMin() int {
    if len(s.minStack) == 0 {
        return 0
    }
    return s.minStack[1]len(s.minStack)-1]
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A[

B(

C{

D<

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using parentheses or braces causes syntax errors.

Using '<' is invalid syntax.

To access the last element of a slice, use square brackets [].

4fill in blank

hard

Complete the code to complete the Peek method that returns the top element of the stack.

DSA Go

func (s *MinStack) Peek() int {
    if len(s.stack) == 0 {
        return -1
    }
    return s.stack[len(s.stack)[1]1]
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A-

B+

C]

D[

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to subtract 1 causes out-of-range errors.

Missing the closing bracket causes syntax errors.

To get the last element, subtract 1 from length and close the index with a square bracket.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to complete the MinStack struct and its constructor.

DSA Go

type MinStack struct {
    stack    [][1]
    minStack [][2]
}

func NewMinStack() *MinStack {
    return &MinStack{
        stack:    make([][3], 0),
        minStack: make([]int, 0),
    }
}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aint

Bstring

Cfloat64

Dbool

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using string or float64 causes type mismatch errors.

Using bool is incorrect for numeric stacks.

Both stack and minStack hold integers, so the type is int.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of a Min Stack data structure?

easy

A. To retrieve the minimum element in constant time

B. To sort elements in ascending order

C. To store elements in a queue fashion

D. To reverse the order of elements

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Min Stack functionality

   A Min Stack is designed to keep track of the minimum element efficiently.

2. Step 2: Identify the key feature

   It allows retrieving the minimum element in constant time, unlike a normal stack.

3. Final Answer:

   To retrieve the minimum element in constant time -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Min Stack = Fast minimum retrieval [OK]

Hint: Min Stack always tracks minimum for O(1) retrieval [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it sorts elements
• Confusing with queue behavior
• Assuming it reverses elements

2. Which of the following Go code snippets correctly declares a Min Stack struct with two slices for values and minimums?

easy

A. type MinStack struct { values map[int]int; mins []int }

B. type MinStack struct { values []int; min int }

C. type MinStack struct { values []int; mins []int }

D. type MinStack struct { values []int; mins int }

Solution

1. Step 1: Check struct fields for Min Stack

   Min Stack needs slices to store all values and track minimums at each push.

2. Step 2: Validate field types

   Both values and mins should be slices of int for stack behavior.

3. Final Answer:

   type MinStack struct { values []int; mins []int } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Two int slices = correct Min Stack struct [OK]

Hint: Min Stack uses two int slices for values and mins [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using map instead of slice for values
• Using int instead of slice for mins
• Mixing types between fields

3. Given the following Go code for a Min Stack, what will be printed after the operations?

ms := MinStack{}
ms.Push(3)
ms.Push(5)
ms.Push(2)
ms.Push(1)
ms.Pop()
fmt.Println(ms.GetMin())

medium

A. 2

B. 1

C. 3

D. 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Trace Push operations and minimums

   Push 3 (min=3), Push 5 (min=3), Push 2 (min=2), Push 1 (min=1).

2. Step 2: Pop removes last pushed (1), so min updates to previous min (2)

   After pop, minimum is 2.

3. Final Answer:

   2 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Pop last min 1, new min = 2 [OK]

Hint: Pop removes last min, so min updates to previous min [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming min stays 1 after pop
• Confusing push order
• Not updating min stack on pop

4. Identify the bug in this Go Min Stack Pop method:

func (ms *MinStack) Pop() {
  ms.values = ms.values[:len(ms.values)-1]
  ms.mins = ms.mins[:len(ms.mins)]
}

medium

A. Pop method should return the popped value

B. The values slice is not shortened on pop

C. Pop method should clear both slices completely

D. The mins slice is not shortened on pop

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze slice operations in Pop

   Values slice is shortened by one element correctly.

2. Step 2: Check mins slice operation

   Mins slice is sliced to full length, so it is not shortened, causing mismatch.

3. Final Answer:

   The mins slice is not shortened on pop -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   mins slice must shrink with values [OK]

Hint: Pop must shrink both values and mins slices equally [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting to shrink mins slice
• Assuming Pop returns value
• Clearing slices fully on pop

5. You want to design a Min Stack that supports Push, Pop, Top, and GetMin all in O(1) time. Which approach below correctly handles the minimum tracking when pushing a new element x?

hard

A. Push x to values; push x only if x < current min to mins

B. Push x to values; push min(x, current min) to mins

C. Push x to values; push current min only if x > current min to mins

D. Push x to values; do not update mins slice

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand min tracking logic

   Each push must record the minimum so far to allow O(1) GetMin.

2. Step 2: Compare new element with current min

   Push the smaller of x and current min onto mins slice to keep track.

3. Final Answer:

   Push x to values; push min(x, current min) to mins -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Always push min(x, current min) to mins [OK]

Hint: Always push min of new and current min to mins stack [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Pushing x only if smaller causes missing mins
• Not updating mins on every push
• Ignoring mins slice updates