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Top-Down vs Bottom-Up

We've seen two distinct ways to approach a dynammic programming-based solution. Ultimately, you might wonder which approach to take: the top-down (recursive) approach or the bottom-up (iterative) approach.

Choosing Your Approach

There isn't a definitive answer to this question, as it often comes down to personal preference. Typically, students find the iterative approach easier to understand in the beginning. As they become more comfortable with dynamic programming, they tend to develop a preference for one approach over the other. It's rare to find students who feel equally confident with both techniques, and that's completely fine and expected.

It's also possible that you'll find one approach easier than the other based on the type of problem. If one way feels more intuitive, go ahead and use it.

You don't have to be proficient in solving these problems both ways. Choose the approach you find easiest to understand and focus on mastering that one.

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