Decide Whether Letter-Variable Equalities and Inequalities Are Consistent
Quick Overview
Decide Whether Letter-Variable Equalities and Inequalities Are Consistent. Each four-character equation has the form x==y or x!=y, with lowercase single-letter variables that may be the same letter.
Decide Whether Letter-Variable Equalities and Inequalities Are Consistent
Company: Amazon
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
### Problem
Each four-character equation has the form `x==y` or `x!=y`, with lowercase single-letter variables that may be the same letter. Return whether integer values can be assigned to the variables so every equation is satisfied.
```cpp
class Solution {
public:
bool equationsPossible(vector<string>& equations);
};
```
### Examples
**Example 1:**
```text
Input: equations = ["a==b","b==c","a!=c"]
Output: false
Explanation: The equalities force a,b,and c to share one value, contradicting a!=c.
```
**Example 2:**
```text
Input: equations = ["a!=b","b!=c","a==c"]
Output: true
Explanation: Assign a=c=0 and b=1.
```
### Constraints
- `1 <= equations.length <= 500`.
- Each string has length4: lowercase variable, `=` or `!`, `=`, lowercase variable.
### Contract considerations
The function returns satisfiability, not an arbitrary assignment. Repeated relations are permitted by the supplied format.
```hint Read the boundary condition
Equalities form equivalence classes; an inequality is impossible only when both ends fall in one class.
```
### Boundary reminders
The function returns satisfiability, not an arbitrary assignment. Repeated relations are permitted by the supplied format.
Overview: Decide Whether Letter-Variable Equalities and Inequalities Are Consistent. Each four-character equation has the form x==y or x!=y, with lowercase single-letter variables that may be the same letter.
Decide Whether Letter-Variable Equalities and Inequalities Are Consistent
Amazon
Source window: 0–3 months · as of Oct 21, 2026
mediumSoftware EngineerOtherCoding & Algorithms
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Problem
Each four-character equation has the form x==y or x!=y, with lowercase single-letter variables that may be the same letter. Return whether integer values can be assigned to the variables so every equation is satisfied.
class Solution {
public:
bool equationsPossible(vector<string>& equations);
};
Examples
Example 1:
Input: equations = ["a==b","b==c","a!=c"]
Output: false
Explanation: The equalities force a,b,and c to share one value, contradicting a!=c.