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Simulate 1-D collisions and scale to huge inputs

Last updated: Mar 29, 2026

Quick Overview

This question evaluates a candidate's algorithm design skills, proficiency with appropriate data structures, and ability to analyze time and space complexity alongside system-level scalability concerns for large datasets.

  • Medium
  • SoFi
  • Coding & Algorithms
  • Software Engineer

Simulate 1-D collisions and scale to huge inputs

Company: SoFi

Role: Software Engineer

Category: Coding & Algorithms

Difficulty: Medium

Interview Round: HR Screen

Given an array of integers representing objects on a 1-D track, where the sign indicates direction (positive moves right, negative moves left) and the absolute value indicates mass, simulate all collisions: when two objects moving toward each other meet, the smaller mass is destroyed; if equal, both are destroyed; otherwise, the larger continues with its original direction. Return the final sequence of objects in order after all collisions resolve. Implement an O(n) time solution using an appropriate data structure and analyze time and space complexity. Follow-ups: How would you handle extremely large inputs (e.g., up to 1e8 elements) under tight memory limits (1–2 GB)? Discuss streaming, chunking, and external-memory approaches. How would you parallelize processing across cores while ensuring correctness at chunk boundaries? What test cases and invariants would you use to validate the implementation?

Quick Answer: This question evaluates a candidate's algorithm design skills, proficiency with appropriate data structures, and ability to analyze time and space complexity alongside system-level scalability concerns for large datasets.

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SoFi
Sep 6, 2025, 12:00 AM
Software Engineer
HR Screen
Coding & Algorithms
2
0

Given an array of integers representing objects on a 1-D track, where the sign indicates direction (positive moves right, negative moves left) and the absolute value indicates mass, simulate all collisions: when two objects moving toward each other meet, the smaller mass is destroyed; if equal, both are destroyed; otherwise, the larger continues with its original direction. Return the final sequence of objects in order after all collisions resolve. Implement an O(n) time solution using an appropriate data structure and analyze time and space complexity. Follow-ups: How would you handle extremely large inputs (e.g., up to 1e8 elements) under tight memory limits (1–2 GB)? Discuss streaming, chunking, and external-memory approaches. How would you parallelize processing across cores while ensuring correctness at chunk boundaries? What test cases and invariants would you use to validate the implementation?

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