Randomization

What is a Skip List?

A skip list is a probabilistic, layered linked-list structure that keeps elements sorted and adds multiple levels of 'express lane' pointers above the base lis…

What is Reservoir Sampling?

Reservoir sampling is a randomized algorithm that selects a uniformly random sample of k items from a stream of unknown or unbounded length, using only O(k) me…

What is the Fisher-Yates Shuffle Algorithm?

The Fisher-Yates shuffle is an in-place algorithm that produces a uniformly random permutation of an array in O(n) time by iterating from the last index to the…

Skip List vs Balanced Tree: When Would You Use Each?

A skip list achieves O(log n) expected search, insert, and delete using multiple layers of linked lists with randomized promotion instead of rebalancing, while…

What is Lottery Scheduling?

Lottery scheduling is a probabilistic CPU scheduling algorithm that gives each process a number of lottery tickets proportional to its desired share of the CPU…