Comments on: Amazon SDE in-person interview http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/ Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:24:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: oli http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-69203 oli Mon, 11 Aug 2008 19:57:38 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-69203 Assuming there are no duplicates, a tradeoff between space and running time can be made: Make an array that can contains enough space for the difference between the largest and the smallest integer. For 1 million integers, that makes it a minimum of 1 million bits. We only need to store a bit of information, just 0 or 1. Iterate through the list of integers, store a '1' bit to the corresponding index in the array. When done, iterate through the array, and for each index, if the resulting bit is not 0, output the index. Voilà! If duplicates are in the mix, just store more than a bit... Assuming there are no duplicates, a tradeoff between space and running time can be made:

Make an array that can contains enough space for the difference between the largest and the smallest integer.
For 1 million integers, that makes it a minimum of 1 million bits.

We only need to store a bit of information, just 0 or 1.

Iterate through the list of integers, store a ‘1′ bit to the corresponding index in the array.
When done, iterate through the array, and for each index, if the resulting bit is not 0, output the index.

Voilà!

If duplicates are in the mix, just store more than a bit…

]]> By: David http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-66809 David Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:54:53 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-66809 Can you share the answer of Interview 3? You can send it to my email @ davylw@gmail.com. I appreciate it. Can you share the answer of Interview 3? You can send it to my email @ davylw@gmail.com.

I appreciate it.

]]> By: oli http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-121 oli Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:49:49 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-121 i wish you good luck in your endeavours =) i wish you good luck in your endeavours =)

]]> By: Mr Fuji http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-120 Mr Fuji Mon, 07 Aug 2006 22:16:12 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-120 I had my 2nd phone interview over a week ago and no response whatsoever they asked me some questions on design patterns and a data structure problem that had to deal with counting the number of times a word occurs in a file... he also asked me about a lot of terminology i don't remember from college. oh wells time to move on I had my 2nd phone interview over a week ago and no response whatsoever

they asked me some questions on design patterns and a data structure problem that had to deal with counting the number of times a word occurs in a file… he also asked me about a lot of terminology i don’t remember from college.

oh wells time to move on

]]> By: oli http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-106 oli Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:40:06 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-106 I think it isn't mandatory to have a 2nd phone interview. Those interviews are screeners, to sift through people to find people interesting to them. So you must've been of some interest =). I wouldn't worry too much about the comment. Let me know how it goes and best of luck! I think it isn’t mandatory to have a 2nd phone interview. Those interviews are screeners, to sift through people to find people interesting to them. So you must’ve been of some interest =). I wouldn’t worry too much about the comment. Let me know how it goes and best of luck!

]]> By: Mr Fuji http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-105 Mr Fuji Thu, 27 Jul 2006 08:06:48 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-105 Well i had a phone interview today and they asked me similar questions which dealt with using hash tables and o notation stuff... among other few questions. i felt that i did about 50-60% ok, didn't know a lot of things. then the HR person calls me about an hour later and schedules a 2nd phone interview. is it amazon's policy to have a mandatory 2nd phone interview or do you think the first guy gave me the goahead for a 2nd one? he even implied i did not have enough experience for what his team was looking for. Well i had a phone interview today and they asked me similar questions which dealt with using hash tables and o notation stuff… among other few questions. i felt that i did about 50-60% ok, didn’t know a lot of things. then the HR person calls me about an hour later and schedules a 2nd phone interview. is it amazon’s policy to have a mandatory 2nd phone interview or do you think the first guy gave me the goahead for a 2nd one? he even implied i did not have enough experience for what his team was looking for.

]]> By: oli http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-85 oli Sun, 23 Jul 2006 17:16:02 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-85 hello mark, thanks for the comments =) Alpha is the distance from the centre point to the first intersection of the perpendicular line. So Beta is the radius, going all the way to the circle from the centre point. They don't time for a question and they usually try to find if you have some sense of things. You shouldn't worry about it too much! :) And don't get stuck thinking silently... always voice out what you're thinking about. One interview takes a bit less than an hour, being 30 to 45 mins depending on what you talk about. Good luck! let me know how it goes! Olivier hello mark, thanks for the comments =)

Alpha is the distance from the centre point to the first intersection of the perpendicular line. So Beta is the radius, going all the way to the circle from the centre point.

They don’t time for a question and they usually try to find if you have some sense of things. You shouldn’t worry about it too much! :) And don’t get stuck thinking silently… always voice out what you’re thinking about.
One interview takes a bit less than an hour, being 30 to 45 mins depending on what you talk about.

Good luck!
let me know how it goes!

Olivier

]]> By: Mark http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-84 Mark Sun, 23 Jul 2006 09:17:41 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-84 Dude, Going through your interview questions in my leisure was fantastic! I've got a phone interview with Amazon soon, I had no idea what to expect and I've garbage collected (in my brain) all that good stuff that they seem to be asking. Thanks a ton for putting up this experience, really refreshed my mind about solving these trickly little algorithms. I'm sure these dudes don't ask the same thing twice, but good to know the style of questions sure gives me a heads up. For the circle question, isn't both alpha and beta the radius, if the centre point is where it's supposed to be? unless beta is the angle, in which case that leaves only alpha. Supposing the center point is shifted a bit elsewhere, neither alpha nor beta would be radius. How much time did you have for each of those questions by the way? Crossing the fingers for my own little phone interview. -Mark P.S. You are a good man for putting this online! Dude, Going through your interview questions in my leisure was fantastic!

I’ve got a phone interview with Amazon soon, I had no idea what to expect and I’ve garbage collected (in my brain) all that good stuff that they seem to be asking.

Thanks a ton for putting up this experience, really refreshed my mind about solving these trickly little algorithms. I’m sure these dudes don’t ask the same thing twice, but good to know the style of questions sure gives me a heads up.

For the circle question, isn’t both alpha and beta the radius, if the centre point is where it’s supposed to be? unless beta is the angle, in which case that leaves only alpha.

Supposing the center point is shifted a bit elsewhere, neither alpha nor beta would be radius.

How much time did you have for each of those questions by the way?

Crossing the fingers for my own little phone interview.

-Mark

P.S. You are a good man for putting this online!

]]> By: oli http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-27 oli Sun, 04 Jun 2006 04:07:46 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-27 yep i did! unfortunately I didn't get the job =( I don't feel so bad though, it appears i didn't have enough experience. I have some good news though, I have an offer for here in TO and possibly more coming =) yep i did!
unfortunately I didn’t get the job =(
I don’t feel so bad though, it appears i didn’t have enough experience.
I have some good news though, I have an offer for here in TO and possibly more coming =)

]]> By: Calvin http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/2006/05/30/amazon-sde-in-person-interview/#comment-26 Calvin Sat, 03 Jun 2006 19:25:20 +0000 http://www.oliyiptong.com/blog/?p=9#comment-26 Hehe... so did you get back the results of the interview? Hehe… so did you get back the results of the interview?

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