Longest Palindromic Substring Calculator

What is the Longest Palindromic Substring?

The longest palindromic substring is the longest sequence of characters within a given string that reads the same forwards and backwards. For example, in the string “babad”, the longest palindromic substring is either “bab” or “aba”.

Purpose of the Calculator

This calculator helps you find the longest palindromic substring within a string. By entering a string, you can instantly get the longest sequence that forms a palindrome. The calculator also provides a clear step-by-step explanation of the algorithm behind it.

How It Works

The calculator uses a method to expand around the center of each character in the string. It checks all possible substrings and finds the one that reads the same from left to right and right to left. The algorithm works efficiently and gives the correct result in a fraction of a second.

Why Use This Calculator?

If you’re learning algorithms or preparing for coding interviews, understanding how to solve the longest palindromic substring problem is essential. This tool not only finds the answer quickly but also helps you understand the approach to solving it. By providing an explanation of the solution, it also aids in improving your problem-solving skills.

Algorithm Explanation

The algorithm works by iterating over each character of the string and considering it as the center of a potential palindrome. It expands outward from the center while checking if the substring remains a palindrome. The process continues until the longest palindromic substring is found. The time complexity is O(n²), making it suitable for most practical use cases.

Input and Output

To use this calculator, simply input any string, and the tool will display the longest palindromic substring along with a step-by-step breakdown of how the solution was found.

Example

If you enter the string “babad”, the output will show that the longest palindromic substring is “bab” or “aba”, along with the detailed calculation steps.