Two Non Repeating Elements in Array Using XOR in DSA Go - Time & Space Complexity

Time Complexity: Two Non Repeating Elements in Array Using XOR

O(n)

Understanding Time Complexity

We want to understand how the time needed to find two unique numbers in an array grows as the array gets bigger.

Specifically, how many steps does the XOR method take when the input size increases?

Scenario Under Consideration

Analyze the time complexity of the following code snippet.

func findTwoUnique(arr []int) (int, int) {
    xor := 0
    for _, num := range arr {
        xor ^= num
    }

    setBit := xor & (-xor)
    x, y := 0, 0
    for _, num := range arr {
        if num&setBit != 0 {
            x ^= num
        } else {
            y ^= num
        }
    }
    return x, y
}
    

This code finds two numbers that appear only once in an array where all other numbers appear twice, using XOR operations.

Identify Repeating Operations

Identify the loops, recursion, array traversals that repeat.

• Primary operation: Two separate loops over the array.
• How many times: Each loop runs once over all elements, so twice in total.

How Execution Grows With Input

Each element is processed twice, once in each loop, so the total steps grow directly with the number of elements.

Input Size (n)	Approx. Operations
10	About 20 steps
100	About 200 steps
1000	About 2000 steps

Pattern observation: The steps grow linearly as the input size grows.

Final Time Complexity

Time Complexity: O(n)

This means the time to find the two unique numbers grows in direct proportion to the size of the input array.

Common Mistake

[X] Wrong: "Because there are two loops, the time complexity is O(n²)."

[OK] Correct: The loops run one after another, not nested, so their times add up, not multiply. This keeps the complexity linear, O(n).

Interview Connect

Understanding how XOR helps find unique elements efficiently shows your skill in using bitwise operations and analyzing linear time solutions, a valuable skill in many coding challenges.

Self-Check

"What if the array had three unique elements instead of two? How would the time complexity change?"

Practice

1. What is the main idea behind using XOR to find two non-repeating elements in an array where every other element repeats?

easy

A. XOR of all elements gives XOR of the two unique elements

B. XOR sorts the array to separate unique elements

C. XOR counts the frequency of each element

D. XOR removes duplicates by summing elements

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand XOR properties

   XOR of a number with itself is 0, and XOR with 0 is the number itself.

2. Step 2: Apply XOR to all elements

   XORing all elements cancels out duplicates, leaving XOR of two unique elements.

3. Final Answer:

   XOR of all elements gives XOR of the two unique elements -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   XOR cancels duplicates, leaving unique pair XOR [OK]

Hint: XOR all elements to isolate unique pair XOR quickly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking XOR sorts or counts elements
• Assuming XOR gives unique elements directly
• Confusing XOR with addition or subtraction

2. Which of the following Go code snippets correctly initializes the XOR variable to start finding two non-repeating elements?

easy

A. xor := nil

B. xor := 0

C. xor := 1

D. xor := []int{}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct XOR initialization

   XOR operation starts with 0 because XOR with 0 returns the number itself.

2. Step 2: Check Go syntax for variable initialization

   "xor := 0" correctly initializes an integer variable for XOR operations.

3. Final Answer:

   xor := 0 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Start XOR with 0 for correct accumulation [OK]

Hint: Initialize XOR with 0 to start XOR operations correctly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 1 instead of 0 for XOR start
• Trying to initialize XOR with nil or slice
• Incorrect Go syntax for variable declaration

3. What is the output of the following Go code snippet? arr := []int{2, 3, 7, 9, 2, 3, 9, 11} xor := 0 for _, v := range arr { xor ^= v } fmt.Println(xor)

medium

A. 12

B. 18

C. 0

D. 11

Solution

1. Step 1: XOR all elements in the array

   Calculate XOR stepwise: 0^2=2, 2^3=1, 1^7=6, 6^9=15, 15^2=13, 13^3=14, 14^9=7, 7^11=12.

2. Step 2: Verify final XOR value

   The final XOR value after processing all elements is 12.

3. Final Answer:

   12 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   XOR of all elements = 12 [OK]

Hint: XOR duplicates cancel; XOR unique pair remains [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Miscomputing XOR stepwise
• Assuming XOR sums elements
• Ignoring duplicates canceling out

4. Identify the bug in this Go code snippet that tries to find two non-repeating elements using XOR: arr := []int{4, 1, 2, 1, 2, 5} xor := 0 for i := 0; i <= len(arr); i++ { xor ^= arr[i] } fmt.Println(xor)

medium

A. Use a map instead of XOR for this problem

B. XOR variable should be initialized to 1

C. Loop condition should be i < len(arr), not i <= len(arr)

D. Array elements should be converted to strings before XOR

Solution

1. Step 1: Check loop boundary

   Loop uses i <= len(arr), which causes out-of-range error because valid indices are 0 to len(arr)-1.

2. Step 2: Correct loop condition

   Change to i < len(arr) to avoid index out of range and correctly XOR all elements.

3. Final Answer:

   Loop condition should be i < len(arr), not i <= len(arr) -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Index out of range fixed by correct loop boundary [OK]

Hint: Use i < len(arr) to avoid index errors in loops [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using <= instead of < in loop condition
• Initializing XOR with wrong value
• Misunderstanding XOR usage for strings

5. Given the array arr := []int{6, 3, 5, 4, 5, 3, 4, 7}, which two numbers are the non-repeating elements found using the XOR method?

hard

A. [5, 6]

B. [3, 5]

C. [4, 7]

D. [6, 7]

Solution

1. Step 1: XOR all elements to get xorVal

   Calculate XOR: 6^3=5, 5^5=0, 0^4=4, 4^5=1, 1^3=2, 2^4=6, 6^7=1. Final xorVal = 1.

2. Step 2: Find rightmost set bit and separate elements

   Rightmost set bit in xorVal=1. Partition array into two groups based on this bit and XOR separately to find unique elements 6 and 7.

3. Final Answer:

   [6, 7] -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Unique elements are 6 and 7 after XOR partition [OK]

Hint: Use rightmost set bit to split and find unique elements [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Not partitioning array by set bit
• Mixing up duplicates with unique elements
• Incorrect XOR calculations