Find the Difference
Explore how to identify the extra character in one string compared to another by applying bitwise manipulation techniques. This lesson helps you understand constraints, apply logic, and implement a solution that returns the index of the first differing character, enhancing your coding problem-solving skills for technical interviews.
We'll cover the following...
Statement
Given two strings, str1 and str2, find the index of the extra character that is present in only one of the strings.
Note: If multiple instances of the extra character exist, return the index of the first occurrence of the character in the longer string.
Constraints:
-
str1.length,str2.length - Either
str2.lengthstr1.length + 1, or,str1.lengthstr2.length + 1 - The strings consist of lowercase English letters.
Examples
Understand the problem
Let’s take a moment to make sure you’ve correctly understood the problem. The quiz below helps you check if you’re solving the correct problem:
Find the Difference
Find the index of the extra character that is present in only one of the strings.
string 1 = “pqr”
string 2 = “psrq”
0
1
2
3
Figure it out!
We have a game for you to play. Rearrange the logical building blocks to develop a clearer understanding of how to solve this problem.
Try it yourself
Implement your solution in the following coding playground.
int ExtraCharacterIndex(string str1, string str2){// Replace this placeholder return statement with your codereturn -1;}