Consecutive Event / Sample Detection

Problem Overview

You are given a stream of Sample objects, each containing a numeric timestamp and an ordered list of elements (strings), e.g. Sample(1.0, ['a','b']). Implement a function that processes this stream and detects when elements appear consecutively across samples — and, in the follow-up, when they appear consecutively for at least…

• 4 candidate-reported follow-ups — the exact probes interviewers asked, with the trigger for each
• The rest of the problem statement — full requirements, constraints, and edge cases
• Approach and trade-offs — what passing candidates did, and the mistakes that sink people