Floyd's cycle-finding algorithm, also known as the tortoise and hare algorithm, is a method for detecting cycles in a linked list or sequence of data. It was developed by Robert Floyd in 1967 and is named after him.
The algorithm works by using two pointers, one that moves at a faster rate than the other. If there is a cycle in the data, the faster pointer will eventually "catch up" to the slower pointer, indicating the presence of a cycle.
The time complexity of the algorithm is O(n), where n is the number of elements in the data. This makes it a very efficient algorithm for detecting cycles.
Yes, the algorithm can be used for any type of data as long as there is a way to compare two elements and determine if they are equal.
One limitation of the algorithm is that it can only detect cycles, not the location of the cycle. It also requires the data to be traversable in one direction, making it unsuitable for certain types of data structures.