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Implement an algorithm to find the longest common prefix among an array of strings.

Python/Codingmedium0.6 min readPremium
Frequency
Low
Asked at 1 company
Category
179
questions in Python/Coding
Difficulty Split
127E|24M|28H
in this category
Total Bank
1,863
across 7 categories
Asked at these companies
Disney+ Hotstar
Key Concepts Tested
partitionspark
Expert AnswerPremium
126 wordsInterview-ready
**Why Prefix Matters in Data Engineering:** Common in key design (e.g., S3 prefix for partitioning), schema evolution (shared column prefixes), and deduplication logic. **Scalability Trade-offs:** (1) Horizontal scanning: O(S) where S = total chars—optimal for small-to-medium. (2) Vertical scanning: stops early on first mismatch—better when strings diverge quickly. (3) Sort-and-compare: O(n log n * m)—avoids full scan but sort dominates for large n....
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