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Create Hello World Function

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Write a function createHelloWorld. It should return a new function that always returns "Hello World".

Example 1:

Input: args = []
Output: "Hello World"
Explanation:
const f = createHelloWorld();
f(); // "Hello World"

The function returned by createHelloWorld should always return "Hello World".

Example 2:

Input: args = [{},null,42]
Output: "Hello World"
Explanation:
const f = createHelloWorld();
f({}, null, 42); // "Hello World"

Any arguments could be passed to the function but it should still always return "Hello World".

Constraints:

  • 0 <= args.length <= 10

Solution


Clarifying Questions

When you get asked this question in a real-life environment, it will often be ambiguous (especially at FAANG). Make sure to ask these questions in that case:

  1. What is the expected output when the function is called?
  2. Should the output be printed to the console, returned as a string, or handled in another way?
  3. Are there any specific language features or libraries I should avoid using?
  4. Does the function need to handle different character encodings (e.g., UTF-8) correctly?
  5. Are there any specific performance constraints beyond general best practices?

Brute Force Solution

Approach

The goal is to write a function that simply displays the text 'Hello World'. The brute force approach, in this context, involves directly creating or using a mechanism to show that specific phrase.

Here's how the algorithm would work step-by-step:

  1. First, identify the tool or command available to display text to the user.
  2. Next, directly tell that tool to display the exact text 'Hello World'.
  3. Finally, confirm that the text 'Hello World' is shown correctly.

Code Implementation

def hello_world_function():
    # Identify the tool to display text to the user; in this case, it's print().

    # Directly tell the tool to display the specific text 'Hello World'.
    text_to_display = 'Hello World'
    print(text_to_display)

    # Confirm 'Hello World' is shown correctly; this function implicitly does that.

Big(O) Analysis

Time Complexity
O(1)The provided solution involves directly displaying a fixed string 'Hello World'. The operation takes a constant amount of time regardless of any input size. Therefore, the time complexity is constant, represented as O(1).
Space Complexity
O(1)The algorithm described in the plain English explanation directly outputs the string 'Hello World' without using any additional data structures or variables that scale with input. The space required is constant, irrespective of any input size (N). Therefore, the auxiliary space complexity is O(1).

Optimal Solution

Approach

The goal is to write a function that displays the text Hello World!. The most straightforward way to do this is to directly instruct the computer to output that specific phrase.

Here's how the algorithm would work step-by-step:

  1. Tell the computer that when the function is called, it should show the text Hello World! on the screen.
  2. Make sure the function is named something that makes sense, like helloWorld.
  3. Test that the function works as expected by calling it and verifying that Hello World! appears.

Code Implementation

def helloWorld():
    # Print 'Hello World!' to the console.
    print("Hello World!")

# Ensures the function does what it's supposed to.
helloWorld()

Big(O) Analysis

Time Complexity
O(1)The helloWorld function performs a single print operation. Regardless of any input or external factors, the function always executes this one statement. Therefore, the time complexity is constant, represented as O(1).
Space Complexity
O(1)The provided description focuses on printing a fixed string, 'Hello World!', which doesn't involve creating any data structures that depend on the input size. The function simply outputs the string, meaning there's no auxiliary space used beyond a constant amount for internal operations like storing the string literal. Therefore, the space complexity is constant. No matter how many times the function is called, it always utilizes the same fixed amount of memory. Thus, the auxiliary space complexity is O(1).

Edge Cases

CaseHow to Handle
Null or empty input stringReturn an empty string or null, depending on the requirements, as there's nothing to 'hello world'.
String containing only whitespaceReturn 'Hello World' as per basic requirements or handle by trimming and checking for emptiness if whitespace is not desired, or throw an error if whitespace is disallowed.
Extremely long input string exceeding memory limitsSince this is simple 'hello world' no string processing is needed, so this is not applicable.
The absence of necessary print function in the programming languageRaise an exception, as the basic requirement cannot be satisfied.
System environment does not have the means to display the text.Log an error or return a failure status code, signaling that the 'Hello World' could not be output.
Limited permissions to use I/O resources.Attempt to write to a log or return error, as system cannot print the requested output.
Integer overflow related to determining output length (not actually applicable here but added for completeness)This test does not require math, so integer overflow doesn't apply.
Error handling in output to streamImplement try-catch blocks or error checking to gracefully handle situations where writing to the output stream fails.