Widest Vertical Area Between Two Points Containing No Points
A easy-tier problem at 87% community acceptance, tagged with Array, Sorting. Reported in interviews at General Motors and 0 others.
You're given a list of points and need to find the widest vertical gap where no points exist between two consecutive x-coordinates. This is an easy problem with a high acceptance rate (87%), but it's a deceptive sort. General Motors has asked it. The trap is that candidates often overcomplicate the vertical logic or forget that you're looking at gaps between sorted x-values, not actual geometric distance. If you're prepping for an OA and this pattern hits, you need the sort-then-scan move locked in. If you blank on the approach during the live assessment, StealthCoder surfaces the working solution invisibly.
Companies that ask "Widest Vertical Area Between Two Points Containing No Points"
Widest Vertical Area Between Two Points Containing No Points is the kind of problem that decides whether you pass. StealthCoder reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Invisible to screen share. The proctor sees nothing. Made by an Amazon engineer who watched the leaked-problem repo become an industry secret. He decided you should have it too.
Get StealthCoderThe algorithm is simple once you see it: sort all points by x-coordinate, then iterate through consecutive pairs and track the maximum difference. The common mistake is overthinking what 'vertical area' means. Candidates sometimes try to filter by y-coordinate or calculate actual distances when the problem just wants the largest gap in sorted x-values. Another pitfall is handling edge cases like duplicate x-values or a single point. The pattern involves Array and Sorting, which makes this a warm-up for harder geometry or interval problems. Many candidates nail this in practice but choke when speed matters in a live OA. That's where StealthCoder is your hedge: if you freeze on the exact implementation detail or loop logic, it runs invisibly and gives you the code to paste.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Widest Vertical Area Between Two Points Containing No Points recycles across companies for a reason. It's easy-tier, and most candidates blank under the timer. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Made by an Amazon engineer who watched the leaked-problem repo become an industry secret. He decided you should have it too. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Widest Vertical Area Between Two Points Containing No Points interview FAQ
Is this problem actually easy or is the acceptance rate misleading?+
At 87% acceptance, it's genuinely easy once you see the pattern. The trick is just sorting by x and comparing consecutive gaps. The confusion comes from the wording 'widest vertical area'. If you understand that it means max gap in sorted x-coordinates, not y-distance, you'll solve it fast.
How does this relate to interval and geometry problems?+
It's a baby version of interval merging and geometric sweep-line logic. Sorting then scanning is the foundation for harder problems involving overlaps, collisions, or coverage. This problem teaches that pattern cleanly without heavy math.
What's the main pitfall when coding this live?+
Overcomplicating the vertical logic. Candidates sometimes calculate Euclidean distance or filter by y-values when the solution is just sort-by-x then loop. Off-by-one errors in the loop and forgetting to compare all consecutive pairs are also common in a timed setting.
Does General Motors still ask this problem?+
It's reported once from General Motors. Like all OA data, it's historical and companies rotate problems, but the underlying pattern (sort then scan for max gap) shows up across many roles and is worth knowing.
Should I memorize this solution or understand the pattern?+
Understand the pattern. The algorithm is trivial: sort points by x, loop consecutive pairs, track max difference. Once you see that structure, you'll recognize it in harder problems. The acceptance rate means you'll probably see it in an OA if geometry comes up.
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