/ DSA with C++ / Phase 18 Phase 18 Days 91-101
Graphs Representations, BFS/DFS, toposort, shortest paths, MST and DSU, in a clean dependency order
Phase Goal The biggest phase: build every core graph algorithm on top of the traversals, ending with DSU.
Day 91: Graph representations & traversal
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 92: Grid & component problems
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 93: Cycle detection & bipartite
Cycle in an undirected graph
Cycle in a directed graph
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 94: Topological sort
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 95: Shortest paths — unweighted & DAG
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 96: Dijkstra
Dijkstra with a priority queue
Constrained shortest paths
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 97: Bellman-Ford & Floyd-Warshall
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 98: Minimum spanning tree — Prim's
MST applications (Prim-only)
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 99: Disjoint Set Union & Kruskal's
The DSU idea (attempt-first)
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 100: DSU applications
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
Day 101: Advanced graph topics (intro) & recap
Bridges & articulation (intro)
Practice, delayed recall, and independent transfer Choose one core problem from LeetCode, Codeforces, AtCoder, or CSES after checking its prerequisites; hide its technique label Spend 10–20 minutes retrieving one earlier mechanism and one earlier bug before new work; prioritize weak prerequisites Use a five-task bank: guided warm-up, core, changed constraint, delayed recall, optional stretch; attempt one or two, not all five on a timer Before a solution, produce a trace or brute-force plan; when stuck take one hint, act on it, then reassess Record help used, the failing input, the corrected reasoning, and a next review date; start around 1/3/7/14/30 days and adapt Reserve a weekly mixed review; after foundation readiness add a short virtual contest and upsolve one task with known prerequisites Prove progress through a delayed blank-editor reconstruction and a changed problem; a same-day quiz is supporting evidence only
After this phase, you'll be able to:
Graph representations & traversal Grid & component problems Cycle detection & bipartite Topological sort Shortest paths — unweighted & DAG Dijkstra Bellman-Ford & Floyd-Warshall Minimum spanning tree — Prim's After Phase 18, explain a core invariant, reconstruct a solution after a delay, diagnose a bug, and solve one unlabelled variation. Repair a failed prerequisite before advancing; record help separately from independent work.