Seemed easy at first, just a reduce or a loop with some bookkeeping.
Clarify the input format and expected output structure, then propose a solution using a hash map (dictionary) to group authors by nationality. Iterate through the array, and for each author, either initialize a new entry or append to the existing list, updating the count. Finally, return the dictionary.
Pro tip: Mention edge cases like empty input, missing nationality, or authors with multiple nationalities, and discuss time/space complexity. Also, suggest that the count can be derived from the list length to avoid redundancy.
Restate the problem in your own words and ask clarifying questions about input format, output structure, and edge cases.
Select a hash map (dictionary) for grouping, where keys are nationalities and values are objects containing a list and a count.
Loop through the array of authors, and for each author, check if their nationality exists as a key. If not, create a new entry with an empty list and count 0; then append the author and increment the count.
After processing all authors, return the dictionary. Optionally, discuss how the count could be computed from the list length instead of maintaining separately.
State the time complexity O(n) and space complexity O(n) in the worst case, and mention any trade-offs.
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