Count number of nodes in a linked list that may be circular

Question

Here is the problem, it is from Sedgwick\'s excellent Algorithms in Java (q 3.54)

Given a link to a node in a singly linked list that contains no null links (i.e. ea

Answer 1

The tortoise and hare algorithm can give you both the cycle length and the number of nodes before the cycle begins (λ and μ respectively).