Course Schedule II
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Course Schedule II' problem.
1. Concept Overview
The 'Course Schedule II' problem is a key challenge in the Graphs section.
This implementation focuses on easy-level logic in Python.
We prioritize technical accuracy and code readability in our provided solutions.
2. Real-World Applications
3. Visual Intuition
Visualizing the logic flow for Course Schedule II.
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Thinking
1. Understand the problem
Read the problem statement for Course Schedule II carefully.
2. Formulate brute force
Draft a simple iterative solution.
3. Identify inefficiency
Look for redundant calculations.
4. Optimize search path
Use hashing or sorting to speed up the process.
5. Final Implementation
Clean up the code for production standards.
Problem Statement
There are a total of numCourses courses you have to take, labeled from 0 to numCourses - 1. You are given an array prerequisites where prerequisites[i] = [ai, bi] indicates that you must take course bi first if you want to take course ai.
Return the ordering of courses you should take to finish all courses. If there are many valid answers, return any of them. If it is impossible to finish all courses, return an empty array.
Write a function findOrder(numCourses: int, prerequisites: List[List[int]]) -> List[int].
- •1 <= numCourses <= 2000
- •0 <= len(prerequisites) <= 5000
- •prerequisites[i].length == 2
- •0 <= ai, bi < numCourses
Examples
numCourses = 2, prerequisites = [[1,0]]
[0,1]
There are a total of 2 courses to take. To take course 1 you should have finished course 0. So the correct course order is [0,1].
numCourses = 4, prerequisites = [[1,0],[2,0],[3,1],[3,2]]
[0,2,1,3]
There are a total of 4 courses to take. To take course 3 you should have finished both courses 1 and 2. Both courses 1 and 2 should be taken after you finished course 0. So one correct course order is [0,1,2,3]. Another correct ordering is [0,2,1,3].
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
Ready to Solve?
Open the problem in PyRun's browser-based Python editor. Your code runs fully offline — no server required.
Interview Insights & Variations
Complexity Analysis Breakdown
Why Time: Directly evaluates all possibilities.
Why Space: Uses standard local memory.
Why Time: Optimized paths reduce total operations.
Why Space: May trade memory for speed.
Optimized Solution Python Code
Optimized Solution Python Code
def find_order_opt(numCourses, prerequisites):
adj = {i: [] for i in range(numCourses)}
for crs, pre in prerequisites: adj[crs].append(pre)
output = []
visit, cycle = set(), set()
def dfs(crs):
if crs in cycle: return False
if crs in visit: return True
cycle.add(crs)
for pre in adj[crs]:
if not dfs(pre): return False
cycle.remove(crs)
visit.add(crs)
output.append(crs)
return True
for c in range(numCourses):
if not dfs(c) == False: return []
return outputBrute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
def find_order_brute(numCourses, prerequisites):
adj = {i: [] for i in range(numCourses)}
for crs, pre in prerequisites: adj[crs].append(pre)
res = []
def dfs(crs, visiting, visited):
if crs in visiting: return False
if crs in visited: return True
visiting.add(crs)
for pre in adj[crs]:
if not dfs(pre, visiting, visited): return False
visiting.remove(crs)
visited.add(crs)
res.append(crs)
return True
visit, vstd = set(), set()
for c in range(numCourses):
if not dfs(c, visit, vstd): return []
return resAlgorithm Pattern Checklist
When dealing with Graphs data patterns.
Core Prerequisites
Revision Key Notes
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
Related Questions
Recommended Python Resources
Expand your knowledge with related interactive tutorials, cheat sheets, and code comparisons.
Python Loops
Learn how to use Python loops to iterate over data. Master for loops, while loops, break, continue, and loop best practices with interactive examples.
How to Sort a List in Python
Learn how to sort a list in Python using the sort() method and the sorted() function. Discover custom key sorting and reverse order examples.
Python String Methods
A complete reference guide for Python string manipulation. Master formatting, searching, splitting, replacing, and checking string properties.
Python vs JavaScript: Which Programming Language is Best?
A comprehensive comparison between Python and JavaScript. Explore syntax differences, performance, use cases (backend vs frontend), and coding examples.