From Brute Force to Kadane's Algorithm: Solving the Maximum Subarray Problem Efficiently

Short summary

A developer shares their journey from a brute-force O(n³) solution to Kadane's O(n) algorithm for the maximum contiguous subarray problem during a timed coding challenge. The key insight is maintaining a running sum that resets to zero when it goes negative, keeping only current and best sums. The article includes before-and-after Python code and common pitfalls like handling all-negative arrays.

• •Kadane's algorithm solves max subarray in O(n) time and O(1) space
• •Core insight: reset running sum to zero when it drops below zero
• •Common trap: initializing best to 0 instead of -inf fails on all-negative arrays

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