Description
Objective
To implement intersection of sets implemented as simple linked lists with no dummy nodes.
Intersection of Two Linked Lists
File Lab03.java contains a nearly-complete application that creates pairs of sets of integers (implemented as
simple linked lists) and then tests union and intersection methods on them. Union is already implemented, you
will implement the intersection method only.
If the set is {3, 5, 7}, then the linked list implementation looks like the following:
top
3 5 7 ∅
last
This set implementation uses a simple linked with
• top, a pointer to the first Node in the list,
• last, a pointer to the last Node in the list, and
• No dummy nodes.
Furthermore, the list is ordered and does not allow duplicates. (Basically, class Set is a renamed class LinkedList.)
Inside the Set class is a private Node class with public instance members, item and next. Because the Node
class is private inside the LinkedList class, no code outside the LinkedList class can access or know about
Nodes. Because item and next are public, you can access the item and next of any node anywhere inside the
LinkedList class. (This structure is not good object-oriented practice. However, it is very simple and will allow
you to transfer your knowledge to non-object-oriented languages easily.)
The method you must write: In the Set class, you must complete method intersection, which is passed
two Sets:
• One set is pointed at by implicit parameter this, and
• The second set is passed in parameter otherSet.
It returns another set containing all the elements that are in both this and otherSet, without changing this
or otherSet. For example, if this is a linked list representing {1, 3, 5} and otherSet is a linked list representing
{3, 55}, then method intersection should return a linked list representing {3} (and this and otherSet should
be unchanged).
How does it work? A bit like merge in merge sort. Since the linked lists are ordered linked lists, you simply
need to loop through this and otherSet at the same time, adding a new element to the (initially empty) result
set whenever you see that this and otherSet have the same element.
The intersection begins with pointers thisCurr and otherCurr at the start of the two sets:
this
top thisCurr
3 5 7 ∅
last
otherSet
top otherCurr
1 3 7 12 ∅
last
Since otherCurr’s item is smaller than thisCurr’s item, nothing is added to the intersection set and otherCurr
is moved to the next node:
this
top thisCurr
3 5 7 ∅
last
otherSet
top otherCurr
1 3 7 12 ∅
last
Since thisCurr’s item is equal to otherCurr’s item, the item is added to the intersection set and both thisCurr
and otherCurr are moved to the next node:
this
top thisCurr
3 5 7 ∅
last
otherSet
top otherCurr
1 3 7 12 ∅
last
Since thisCurr’s item is less than otherCurr’s item, nothing is added to the intersection set and thisCurr is
moved to the next node:
this
top thisCurr
3 5 7 ∅
last
otherSet
top otherCurr
1 3 7 12 ∅
last
2
Since thisCurr’s item is equal to otherCurr’s item, the item is added to the intersection set and both thisCurr
and otherSet are moved to the next node:
this
top thisCurr
∅
3 5 7 ∅
last
otherSet
top otherCurr
1 3 7 12 ∅
last
Since thisCurr is now null, there cannot be any more items that are common to both sets, so the method
returns the intersection set (which now contains 3 and 7).
So you need a loop that goes until one of thisCurr or otherCurr is null, moving the pointers as appropriate
and only adding an item to the intersection set when thisCurr’s and otherCurr’s items are equal. (You can use
private helper method addLast to add items to the intersection set, since the items you are adding are added in
increasing order.)
Reminder: Your method should have only ONE return statement. You should not have any break or
continue statements.
