[DSA] Sliding Window Algorithm

What this episode covers

The Sliding Window Algorithm is a powerful technique used to reduce the time complexity of problems involving arrays or strings—specifically those that require finding a sub-segment that meets certain criteria.Instead of using nested loops O(n^2), the sliding window maintains a dynamic range that "slides" across the data, usually bringing the complexity down to O(n).Problem:Find the maximum sum of a contiguous subarray of size `k`.public class SlidingWindow { public static int findMaxSum(int[] arr, int k) { int n = arr.length; if (n < k) return -1; int windowSum = 0; // 1. Compute sum of the first window for (int i = 0; i < k; i++) { windowSum += arr[i]; }int maxSum = windowSum;// 2. Slide the window from index k to n-1 for (int i = k; i < n; i++) { // Add the next element, remove the first element of the previous window windowSum += arr[i] - arr[i - k]; maxSum = Math.max(maxSum, windowSum); } return maxSum; }}

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