Compute sliding-window medians
Company: Meta
Role: Machine Learning Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: Medium
Interview Round: Technical Screen
Given an array nums and an integer k, compute the median for each contiguous subarray (window) of length k and return the sequence of medians in order. Describe an algorithm running in O(n log k) time that handles duplicates and deletions efficiently, specify how to define the median when k is even, and analyze space complexity.
Quick Answer: This question evaluates proficiency in designing and analyzing efficient sliding-window algorithms and data structures for computing running medians, including correct handling of duplicates, deletions, and the convention for defining the median when k is even.