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Start of LinkedList Cycle
MediumProblem Statement
Given the head of a Singly LinkedList that contains a cycle, write a function to find the starting node of the cycle.
Examples
Example 1:
- Input:
[3,2,0,-4], pos = 1 - Output:
tail connects to node index 1
Approach 1 Slow Fast Pointers:
/**
* Definition for singly-linked list.
* class ListNode {
* int val;
* ListNode next;
* ListNode(int x) {
* val = x;
* next = null;
* }
* }
*/
public class Solution {
public ListNode detectCycle(ListNode head) {
var slow = head;
var fast = head;
while (slow != null && fast != null && fast.next != null) {
slow = slow.next;
fast = fast.next.next;
if (slow.equals(fast)) {
fast = head;
while (!slow.equals(fast)) {
slow = slow.next;
fast = fast.next;
}
return slow;
}
}
return null;
}
}
Status
Solved
Complexity
Time
O(n)Space
O(1)Tags
Linked ListSlow Fast Pointers
Date
2026-02-10