Problem Description
You are given two strings a and b of the same length. Choose an index and split both strings at the same index, creating a prefix and a suffix for each string. Check if a_prefix + b_suffix or b_prefix + a_suffix forms a palindrome. Return true if it is possible to form a palindrome string, otherwise return false.
Key Insights
- A string is a palindrome if it reads the same forwards and backwards.
- We can split both strings at any valid index, including empty prefixes or suffixes.
- We need to check two possible combinations for each split index: a_prefix + b_suffix and b_prefix + a_suffix.
- If either a or b is a single character, the answer is immediately true as any single character is a palindrome.
Space and Time Complexity
Time Complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the strings. We check each possible split point in linear time. Space Complexity: O(1), as we are only using a fixed amount of extra space for variables.
Solution
To solve this problem, we can use a single loop to iterate through all possible split indices of the strings. For each index, we will form two potential combinations: a_prefix + b_suffix and b_prefix + a_suffix. We will then check if either of these combinations is a palindrome by comparing characters from the start and end. If we find any valid palindrome, we return true; if we finish checking all indices without finding one, we return false.