Skip to main content

Command Palette

Search for a command to run...

Solving Leetcode Interviews in Seconds with AI: Partition Array Into Two Arrays to Minimize Sum Difference

Updated
3 min read

Introduction

In this blog post, we will explore how to solve the LeetCode problem "2035" 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

You are given an integer array nums of 2 n integers. You need to partition nums into two arrays of length n to minimize the absolute difference of the sums of the arrays. To partition nums, put each element of nums into one of the two arrays. Return the minimum possible absolute difference. Example 1: Input: nums = [3,9,7,3] Output: 2 Explanation: One optimal partition is: [3,9] and [7,3]. The absolute difference between the sums of the arrays is abs((3 + 9) - (7 + 3)) = 2. Example 2: Input: nums = [-36,36] Output: 72 Explanation: One optimal partition is: [-36] and [36]. The absolute difference between the sums of the arrays is abs((-36) - (36)) = 72. Example 3: Input: nums = [2,-1,0,4,-2,-9] Output: 0 Explanation: One optimal partition is: [2,4,-9] and [-1,0,-2]. The absolute difference between the sums of the arrays is abs((2 + 4 + -9) - (-1 + 0 + -2)) = 0. Constraints: 1 <= n <= 15 nums.length == 2 n -107 <= nums[i] <= 107

Explanation

Here's a breakdown of the solution and the Python code:

  • High-Level Approach:

    • Generate all possible subsets from the first half of the nums array. Store the sums of these subsets and their corresponding sizes (number of elements).
    • For each possible sum and size from the first half, find the closest complement sum from the second half, aiming to minimize the absolute difference between the two partitions. Binary search is used for efficient lookup.
    • Iterate through all subset sizes and calculate the minimum absolute difference between the sums of the two partitions.
  • Runtime and Space Complexity:

    • Runtime: O(n * 2n), Space: O(2n)

Code

    def min_difference(nums):
    """
    Partitions an array into two subarrays to minimize the absolute difference of their sums.

    Args:
        nums: An array of integers.

    Returns:
        The minimum possible absolute difference between the sums of the two partitions.
    """

    n = len(nums) // 2
    total_sum = sum(nums)

    def generate_subsets_sums(arr):
        """
        Generates a list of sums for all possible subsets of the given array.

        Args:
            arr: The input array.

        Returns:
            A list of tuples, where each tuple contains (subset size, subset sum).
        """
        sums_by_size = [[] for _ in range(n + 1)]
        for i in range(1 << n):
            subset_sum = 0
            subset_size = 0
            for j in range(n):
                if (i >> j) & 1:
                    subset_sum += arr[j]
                    subset_size += 1
            sums_by_size[subset_size].append(subset_sum)

        for i in range(n + 1):
            sums_by_size[i].sort()
        return sums_by_size

    left_sums = generate_subsets_sums(nums[:n])
    right_sums = generate_subsets_sums(nums[n:])

    min_diff = float('inf')
    for k in range(n + 1):
        for left_sum in left_sums[k]:
            remaining_sum = (total_sum - 2 * left_sum) / 2.0
            right_arr = right_sums[n - k]
            l, r = 0, len(right_arr) - 1
            while l <= r:
                mid = (l + r) // 2
                min_diff = min(min_diff, abs(total_sum - 2 * (left_sum + right_arr[mid])))
                if right_arr[mid] < remaining_sum:
                    l = mid + 1
                else:
                    r = mid - 1

            if len(right_arr) > 0:
                if l < len(right_arr):
                    min_diff = min(min_diff, abs(total_sum - 2 * (left_sum + right_arr[l])))

    return int(min_diff)

More from this blog

C

Chatmagic blog

2894 posts