Bit Manipulation - Maximum Product of Word Lengths
The following code attempts to find the maximum product of word lengths with no common letters. Which line contains a subtle bug that can cause incorrect results or inefficiency?
The following code attempts to find the maximum product of word lengths with no common letters. Which line contains a subtle bug that can cause incorrect results or inefficiency?
medium🐞 Bug Identification Q14 of Q15
Step-by-Step Solution
Step 1: Identify bitmask construction
Line 6 shifts bits by (ord(ch) - ord('a') + 1), which incorrectly shifts by 1 extra, causing wrong bitmask representation.Step 2: Impact of incorrect bitmask
This causes overlap checks to fail or miss common letters, leading to incorrect max product or missed pruning opportunities.Final Answer:
Option D -> Option DQuick Check:
Bitmask must shift by (ord(ch) - ord('a')) exactly [OK]
Quick Trick: Bit shift must match character index exactly [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES- Off-by-one bit shifting in bitmask
- Not pruning pairs after sorting
- Incorrect overlap check logic
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL- The off-by-one bit shift looks plausible but breaks overlap detection subtly.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT- Tests attention to detail in bitmask construction and subtle bugs.
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