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Program Week 1

The document outlines a programming challenge for the week, covering topics in programming fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, SQL, and debugging. It includes specific questions and tasks related to loops, finding the second largest number, counting pairs in an array, and SQL queries for employee salaries. Additionally, it provides hints and concepts such as time complexity, recursion, and string concatenation.

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andrewgodwin2004
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5 views4 pages

Program Week 1

The document outlines a programming challenge for the week, covering topics in programming fundamentals, data structures, algorithms, SQL, and debugging. It includes specific questions and tasks related to loops, finding the second largest number, counting pairs in an array, and SQL queries for employee salaries. Additionally, it provides hints and concepts such as time complexity, recursion, and string concatenation.

Uploaded by

andrewgodwin2004
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

THURSDAY CHALLENGE — WEEK 1

Date: 09:10:2025

1. Programming Fundamentals (C / C++ / Java / Python)

Question: Predict the Output / Logic

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

int main() {

int x = 10;

for(int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {

x += i * 2;

cout << x;

return 0;

Task: What will be printed?

Concepts: Loops, increment logic, dry run skills.


Bonus: Explain what happens if x is declared inside the loop.

2.Data Structures & Algorithms

Question:
Write a function to return the second largest number in an array without sorting it.

Input Example:

arr = [4, 9, 1, 9, 7]
Expected Output:

Bonus: What’s your time complexity?

3.Algorithmic Thinking

Question:
Find the count of pairs in an array whose sum equals a given number k. Also try to write
program for the question in your preferred language.

Input:

arr = [1, 5, 7, -1, 5]

k=6

Expected Output:

Concepts: Hashmap usage, nested loop optimization.

4.SQL & DBMS

Question:
You have a table

Employee(emp_id, name, salary, dept_id)

Write a query to find the second highest salary in each department.

Hint: Use window functions or subqueries.


Bonus: What happens if two people have the same top salary?
5.Debug / Error Finding (C or Python)

Question (Python):

def add_numbers(a, b):

print("Sum is: " + a + b)

add_numbers(5, 10)

Task: Find the error and fix it.


Concepts: Type casting, string concatenation.

Problem:
Given an integer, find the sum of its digits until the result becomes a single digit.

Example:

Input: 9875

Output: 2 (because 9+8+7+5 = 29 → 2+9 = 11 → 1+1 = 2)

Hint: Try recursion or modulo trick (digital root).

 Loops – Repeating a block of code until a condition is met.

 Increment Logic – Increasing a variable’s value (like i++) to move through iterations or
data.

 Dry Run Skills – Manually simulating code execution step-by-step to predict output.

 Time Complexity – A measure of how fast an algorithm runs as input size grows (Big O
notation).

 Nested Loop Optimization – Reducing inner loop work using precomputation,


HashMaps, or early exits.
 HashMap – Stores unique keys mapped to values, allowing quick search, insert, and
delete.

 Subqueries – Queries nested inside another query to filter or calculate results


dynamically.

 Window Functions (SQL) – Functions like ROW_NUMBER() or SUM() OVER() that


perform calculations across a result set without grouping.

 Type Casting – Converting one data type to another (e.g., int → float).

 String Concatenation – Joining strings together using + or template literals.

 Recursion – A function calling itself to solve smaller parts of a problem.

 Modulo Trick (Digital Root) – Using % to simplify problems like finding repeated sum
of digits until one digit remains (n % 9 pattern).

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