Skip to main content

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Solving Leetcode Interviews in Seconds with AI: Continuous Subarray Sum

Updated
3 min read

Introduction

In this blog post, we will explore how to solve the LeetCode problem "523" using AI. LeetCode is a popular platform for preparing for coding interviews, and with the help of AI tools like Chatmagic, we can generate solutions quickly and efficiently - helping you pass the interviews and get the job offer without having to study for months.

Problem Statement

Given an integer array nums and an integer k, return true if nums has a good subarray or false otherwise. A good subarray is a subarray where: its length is at least two, and the sum of the elements of the subarray is a multiple of k. Note that: A subarray is a contiguous part of the array. An integer x is a multiple of k if there exists an integer n such that x = n k. 0 is always a multiple of k. Example 1: Input: nums = [23,2,4,6,7], k = 6 Output: true Explanation: [2, 4] is a continuous subarray of size 2 whose elements sum up to 6. Example 2: Input: nums = [23,2,6,4,7], k = 6 Output: true Explanation: [23, 2, 6, 4, 7] is an continuous subarray of size 5 whose elements sum up to 42. 42 is a multiple of 6 because 42 = 7 6 and 7 is an integer. Example 3: Input: nums = [23,2,6,4,7], k = 13 Output: false Constraints: 1 <= nums.length <= 105 0 <= nums[i] <= 109 0 <= sum(nums[i]) <= 231 - 1 1 <= k <= 231 - 1

Explanation

Here's a breakdown of the approach, complexities, and Python code:

  • Key Idea: Use the prefix sum modulo k. If two prefix sums have the same remainder when divided by k, then the subarray between them has a sum that's a multiple of k. We use a hash map to store the first occurrence of each remainder.
  • Optimization: Store the index of the first occurrence of each remainder in the hash map. If we encounter the same remainder again at a later index, check if the distance between the two indices is at least 2.
  • Complexity: Runtime: O(n), Storage: O(min(n, k))

Code

    def checkSubarraySum(nums, k):
    """
    Checks if there is a continuous subarray of size at least two whose elements sum up to a multiple of k.

    Args:
        nums: A list of integers.
        k: An integer.

    Returns:
        True if there is such a subarray, False otherwise.
    """
    remainder_map = {0: -1}  # Initialize with remainder 0 at index -1 to handle the case where the prefix sum itself is a multiple of k
    prefix_sum = 0

    for i, num in enumerate(nums):
        prefix_sum += num
        remainder = prefix_sum % k

        if remainder in remainder_map:
            if i - remainder_map[remainder] >= 2:
                return True
        else:
            remainder_map[remainder] = i

    return False

More from this blog

C

Chatmagic blog

2894 posts