Code Room
CodingMediumcod-g234
Subject Expression evaluationLevel Mid–Senior~25 minCommon in Algorithms & data structures interviewsIndustries Software development

Question

Evaluate an expression given in Reverse Polish Notation (postfix). The input is a list of tokens where each token is either an integer (already an int) or one of the operator strings '+', '-', '*', '/'. Apply each operator to the two most recently produced operands, where for a binary operator the earlier-pushed operand is the left operand. Division truncates toward zero (like C). The expression is always valid; assume no division by zero. The token list has at least one token. Return the integer result.

Implement
eval_rpn(tokens: list) → int
Examples
in[[2,3,"+",4,"*"]]out20
What a strong answer looks like

State your approach and its time/space complexity out loud before you optimize. Handle the edge cases (empty input, duplicates, overflow), and say why you chose this over the brute force. Green tests are the floor, not the grade.

Vibe coding: describe the solution in plain language (or narrate it) and the coach grades your approach. Generating runnable code from your description is coming next.

Run or narrate your approach, then ask the coach.