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Data Structures and Algorithms Dynamic Programming

Base Cases

Lesson 1/97

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DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING › FOUNDATIONS

Base Cases

Base cases seed the DP table and stop recursion from falling into infinite or undefined subproblems.

Time

O(1)

Space

O(1)

Key Principle 1

The smallest inputs should have direct answers without recursion.

Key Principle 2

Initialize impossible states with safe sentinel values.

Key Principle 3

Bad base cases poison every later transition.

Key Principle 4

Always test n = 0, n = 1, empty strings, and first-row or first-column cases.