Approach
The approach for the above problem is quite simple and straightforward. We group elements adjacent to each other row-wise,column-wise, anti-diagonal, and diagonal-wise. Calculate their maximum results in each direction, compare them with each other, and return the maximum value among them.
Algorithm
1. In each row, group four items that are next to each other and compute their maximum result.
2. In each column, group four elements that are next to each other and compute their maximum results.
3. Calculate the greatest value of four items that are diagonally next to each other.
4. Group four elements that are anti-diagonal to each other and compute their maximum results.
5. Compare all maximum computed results and return the maximum amongst them.
Implementation
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
const int M = 5;
// function to find max product
int maxProduct(int nums[][M], int M)
{
int max = 0, ans;
for (int j = 0; j < M; j++)
{
for (int k = 0; k < M; k++)
{
// check for maximum product
// in a row.
if ((k - 3) >= 0)
{
ans = nums[j][k] * nums[j][k - 1] *
nums[j][k - 2] * nums[j][k - 3];
if (max < ans)
max = ans;
}
// check for maximum product
// in a column.
if ((j - 3) >= 0)
{
ans = nums[j][k] * nums[j - 1][k] *
nums[j - 2][k] * nums[j - 3][k];
if (max < ans)
max = ans;
}
// check the maximum product in
// diagonal
if ((j - 3) >= 0 && (k - 3) >= 0)
{
ans = nums[j][k] * nums[j - 1][k - 1] *
nums[j - 2][k - 2] * nums[j - 3][k - 3];
if (max < ans)
max = ans;
}
// check for maximum product in
// anti-diagonal
if ((j - 3) >= 0 && (k - 1) <= 0)
{
ans = nums[j][k] * nums[j - 1][k + 1] *
nums[j - 2][k + 2] * nums[j - 3][k + 3];
if (max < ans)
max = ans;
}
}
}
return max;
}
// Driver code
int main()
{
int arr[][5] = {{1, 5, 4, 3, 2},
{9, 8, 7, 6, 1},
{1, 2, 3, 1, 4},
{4, 6, 0, 1, 0},
{0, 1, 3, 6, 7}};
cout << "The given input array is: "<<endl;
for (size_t i = 0; i < 5; i++)
{
for (size_t j = 0; j < 5; j++)
{
cout << arr[i][j] << " ";
}
cout << endl;
}
cout << "The maximum product is: " << maxProduct(arr, M);
return 0;
}

You can also try this code with Online C++ Compiler
Run Code
Output

Time Complexity
The time complexity for the given approach is O(m*n) as we traverse the entire matrix to search for the maximum product between adjacent elements in any direction.
Space Complexity
The program's auxiliary space is O(1) because no additional data structure is involved.
Also see, Rabin Karp Algorithm
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you define a Sparse matrix?
The sparse matrix is defined as a matrix with more zero elements than non-zero elements.
What is the Time complexity for a complete traversal of a matrix?
The Time complexity for a complete matrix traversal is O(N x M), where N, M are the dimensions of the matrix.
What is the preferred method to allocate a 2-d array dynamically?
A 2D array should be dynamically allocated in C++ using a single pointer.
Conclusion
This article extensively discussed the problem of finding the maximum product of 4 adjacent elements in a matrix in any direction and its time and space complexities.
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