Compare two programs for equivalence

Quick Overview

This question evaluates program-equivalence reasoning skills, including understanding of language semantics (mutation, ordering stability, integer overflow/underflow, integer-division behavior), competency in comparing time and space complexity, and the ability to design property-based tests and edge cases.

Compare two programs for equivalence

Company: Optiver

Role: Data Scientist

Category: Coding & Algorithms

Difficulty: medium

Interview Round: Take-home Project

You are given two short programs (or functions) that process an integer array A (|A| ≤ 10^ 5). Determine whether they are functionally equivalent for all valid inputs under specified preconditions (e.g., 32-bit signed arithmetic with overflow defined or prohibited). If they are not equivalent, produce a concrete counterexample input. Compare their time and space complexities, identify hidden differences (such as mutation, stability of ordering, overflow/underflow behavior, integer division semantics), and design a set of property-based tests and edge cases to validate your conclusion.

Quick Answer: This question evaluates program-equivalence reasoning skills, including understanding of language semantics (mutation, ordering stability, integer overflow/underflow, integer-division behavior), competency in comparing time and space complexity, and the ability to design property-based tests and edge cases.

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Sep 6, 2025, 12:00 AM
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You are given two short programs (or functions) that process an integer array A (|A| ≤ 10^ 5). Determine whether they are functionally equivalent for all valid inputs under specified preconditions (e.g., 32-bit signed arithmetic with overflow defined or prohibited). If they are not equivalent, produce a concrete counterexample input. Compare their time and space complexities, identify hidden differences (such as mutation, stability of ordering, overflow/underflow behavior, integer division semantics), and design a set of property-based tests and edge cases to validate your conclusion.

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