panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference [signal 0xc0000005 code=0x0 addr=0x8 pc=0x48be5c] goroutine 1 [running]:

I am trying to implement addition of polynomials using linked list. The program adds the power 0 coefficients successfully but after the first traversal it panics. Here is the code I have written so far. after initializing temp1!= nil the loop iterates over else but doesn't enter if loop when powers are different and goes into panic state

package main

import (
    "fmt"
)

type Node struct {
    coefficient int
    power       int
    next        *Node
}

type list struct {
    head  *Node
    count int
}

func main() {
    list1 := &list{}
    list1.addVariable(5, 2)
    list1.addVariable(4, 1)
    list1.addVariable(3, 0)
    list1.print()
    list2 := &list{}
    list2.addVariable(4, 1)
    list2.addVariable(2, 0)
    list2.print()
    list4 := addLists(list1, list2)
    list4.print()

}

func (lst *list) print() {
    temp := lst.head
    for temp != nil {
        fmt.Print(temp.coefficient, "x", "^", temp.power, "+")
        temp = temp.next
    }
    fmt.Println("\n")
}

func (lst *list) addVariable(coefficient int, power int) {
    lst.head = &Node{coefficient, power, lst.head}
    lst.count++
}

func addLists(list1 *list, list2 *list) *list {
    list3 := &list{}
    temp1 := list1.head
    temp2 := list2.head
    fmt.Println("reached") // for debugging purposes
    if list1.count > list2.count {
        fmt.Println("\nreached 2") // for debugging purposes
        for temp1 != nil {
            fmt.Println("reached3") // for debugging purposes
            if temp1.power != temp2.power {
                fmt.Println("reached4") // for debugging purposes
                list3.normalAdd(temp1, temp2)
                temp1 = temp1.next

            } else {
                fmt.Println("reached5") // for debugging purposes
                node4 := add(temp1, temp2)
                list3.exlusiveAdd(node4)
                temp1 = temp1.next
                temp2 = temp2.next
            }
        }
    }
    return list3
}

func (lst *list) normalAdd(node6 *Node, node7 *Node) {
    node6.next = lst.head
    lst.head = node6
    node7.next = lst.head
    lst.head = node7
    lst.count += 2
}

func (lst *list) exlusiveAdd(node5 *Node) {
    node5.next = lst.head
    lst.head = node5
    lst.count++
}

func add(node1, node2 *Node) *Node {
    node3 := &Node{}
    node3.coefficient = node1.coefficient + node2.coefficient
    node3.power = node1.power
    return node3
}

Output when the program is run:

3x^0+4x^1+5x^2+
2x^0+4x^1+
reached

reached 2
reached3
reached5
reached3
reached5
reached3
panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
[signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0xffffffff addr=0x0 pc=0xd48e6]

goroutine 1 [running]:
main.addLists(0x41c7a8, 0x41c7a0, 0x40c120, 0x1d)
    /tmp/sandbox520212269/main.go:56 +0x186
main.main()
    /tmp/sandbox520212269/main.go:28 +0x220

playground here

Update: Thanks for the solution but I have successfully written the code for above problem. here it is. package main

import (
"fmt"
)

type Node struct {
coefficient int
power       int
next        *Node
}

type list struct {
head  *Node
count int
}

func main() {
list1 := &list{}
list1.addVariable(5, 2)
list1.addVariable(4, 1)
list1.addVariable(3, 0)
list1.print()
list2 := &list{}
list2.addVariable(4, 1)
list2.addVariable(2, 0)
list2.print()
poly := addPoly(list1, list2)
poly.print()
}

func (lst *list) print() {
temp := lst.head
for temp != nil {
    fmt.Print(temp.coefficient, "x", "^", temp.power, "+")
    temp = temp.next
}
fmt.Println("\n")
}

func (lst *list) addVariable(coefficient int, power int) {
lst.head = &Node{coefficient, power, lst.head}
lst.count++
}

func addPoly(list_1 *list, list_2 *list) *list {
list_3 := &list{}
temp_1 := list_1.head
temp_2 := list_2.head
if list_1.count > list_2.count {
    for temp_1 != nil && temp_2 != nil {
        if temp_1.power == temp_2.power {
            new_coefficient := temp_1.coefficient + temp_2.coefficient
            new_power := temp_1.power
            list_3.addVariable(new_coefficient, new_power)
            temp_1 = temp_1.next
            temp_2 = temp_2.next
        } else if temp_1.power != temp_2.power {
            list_3.addVariable(temp_1.coefficient, temp_1.power)
            list_3.addVariable(temp_2.coefficient, temp_2.power)
            temp_1 = temp_1.next
            temp_2 = temp_2.next
        }
    }
}
for temp_1 != nil {
    list_3.addVariable(temp_1.coefficient, temp_1.power)
    temp_1 = temp_1.next
}
return list_3
}

The error occur because you tried to access .power property from nil object in code below. Both temp1 and temp2 are nil.

if temp1.power != temp2.power {
   // ...
}

The .head property on list struct has pointer data type. The zero value of pointer data type is nil. In your code, both list1 and list2 has nil value on its .head property.

What you need to do: initialise the value of .head property explicitly during creation of both list1 and list2. Then the panic error will disappear and your code will work properly.

list1 := &list{head: new(Node)}
// ...
list2 := &list{head: new(Node)}
// ...

Playground: https://play.golang.org/p/vPK3pYKht3E