How to Find Intersection Of Two Sorted Arrays

In this example, we’ll find intersection of two sorted arrays:

Input:
int[] arr1 = {10, 11, 12, 13, 14};
int[] arr2 = {8, 10, 12, 14};

Output:
[10 12 14]

1. Java

#Approach 1

To find the intersection of 2 sorted arrays, follow the below approach :

  • Use two variables with nested loop, i and j
  • Compare elements to each other arr1[i] == arr2[j]
  • If matches, print the element (or append).
public class FindIntersectionOfTwoSortedArrays {

	public static void main(String[] args) {
		int[] arr1 = {10, 11, 12, 13, 14};
        int[] arr2 = {8, 10, 12, 14};
		StringBuilder intersect = new StringBuilder();

		for (int i = 0; i < arr1.length; i++) {
			for (int j = 0; j < arr2.length; j++) {
				if (arr1[i] == arr2[j]) {
					intersect.append(arr1[i] + " ");
				}
			}
		}
		System.out.println("[" + intersect + "]");
	}

}

Output:

[10 12 14 ]

#Approach 2

To find the intersection of 2 sorted arrays, follow the below approach :

  • Use two variables i = 0, j = 0
  • If arr1[i] == arr2[j] then print any of them and increment both i and j.
  • If arr1[i] < arr2[j] then increment i.
  • Else increment j.
public class FindIntersectionOfTwoSortedArrays {

	public static void main(String[] args) {
		int[] arr1 = {10, 11, 12, 13, 14};
        int[] arr2 = {8, 10, 12, 14};
        StringBuilder intersect = new StringBuilder();

        int i = 0, j = 0;
        while (i < arr1.length && j < arr2.length) {
            if (arr1[i] == arr2[j]) {
                intersect.append(arr1[i] + " ");
				i++; j++;
            }
			else if(arr1[i] < arr2[j]){
				i++;
			}
			else{
				j++;
			}
        }
		System.out.println("[" + intersect + "]");
	}

}

Output:

[10 12 14 ]

Complete Java Solutions can be found here: Github Link

The complete list can be found here: Practise Programming Questions

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