Language Engineer II, Alexa Communications

Amazon

You are given an array of integers. Write a function to find the contiguous subarray with the largest sum and return that sum. For example: Given the array [-2, 1, -3, 4, -1, 2, 1, -5, 4], the contiguous subarray [4, -1, 2, 1] has the largest sum = 6. Given the array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], the contiguous subarray [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] has the largest sum = 15. Given the array [-1, -2, -3], the contiguous subarray [-1] has the largest sum = -1. Your function should be efficient and handle arrays with both positive and negative numbers. Explain the time complexity of your solution. Can you implement this using dynamic programming? Are there other approaches? Discuss the tradeoffs of the various potential solutions.

Amazon

Let's delve into the fascinating world of operating systems. Imagine you're designing a new OS, and you need to implement a memory management system. Discuss the following: Virtual Memory: Explain the concept of virtual memory. How does it help in managing memory efficiently, especially when dealing with processes that require more memory than physically available? Provide a specific example of a scenario where virtual memory shines, such as running multiple large applications concurrently on a system with limited RAM. What are the benefits and drawbacks of using virtual memory? Specifically discuss the performance overhead associated with page faults. Page Replacement Algorithms: Describe different page replacement algorithms (e.g., FIFO, LRU, Optimal). For each algorithm, provide a step-by-step example using a reference string of page accesses (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 5, 1, 2, 3). Calculate the number of page faults for each algorithm. Discuss the trade-offs between the complexity of the algorithm and its performance in terms of minimizing page faults. Explain a situation where FIFO would perform worse than LRU, and vice versa. Memory Fragmentation: Explain internal and external fragmentation. Give examples for each. What are the causes of each type of fragmentation? What strategies can be used to mitigate memory fragmentation (e.g., compaction, paging, segmentation)? Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. Protection and Security: How does the OS protect memory from unauthorized access by different processes? Explain the role of memory protection mechanisms like base and limit registers, and page table entries (PTEs) with protection bits. Describe a scenario where a process attempts to access memory outside of its allocated region, and explain how the OS would handle this situation to prevent security breaches. How can techniques like Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) further enhance memory security?

Amazon

Tell me about a time you ran into a conflict with a project. How did you handle it?