Merge Intervals

Efficient technique to deal with overlapping intervals.

Mechanism

1. Given two intervals (a and b), there will be six different ways the two intervals can relate to each other
   1. a and b don’t overlap, b ends after a
   2. a and b overlap, b ends after a
   3. a completely overlaps b
   4. a and b overlap, a ends after b
   5. b completely overlaps a
   6. a and b don’t overlap, a ends after b

When to use

1. If you hear the term “overlapping intervals”.
2. Merge intervals if they overlap
3. If you’re asked to produce a list with only mutually exclusive intervals