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Problem solution · C++

Minimum Pair Removal to Sort Array II

Minimum Pair Removal to Sort Array II: a C++ solution using direct simulation. Learn the idea, check the complexity, and read the full code, with credit to walkccc LeetCode Solutions.

Technique
Direct simulation
Source
walkccc LeetCode Solutions
Length
73 lines
Start with the idea.

Try the problem first. If you get stuck, read the approach below, then write your own solution. The full code is at the bottom.

Approach

Direct simulation

For Minimum Pair Removal to Sort Array II, the implementation follows the problem’s operations directly while maintaining only the state needed for the next decision.

  1. Translate each rule into one explicit state update.
  2. Maintain the invariant after every processed item.
  3. Return the accumulated state once all relevant input has been handled.

Code notes

  • 73 lines of C++ from the credited upstream file 3510.cpp.
  • The implementation visibly relies on sequence storage, ordered lookup.
  • 4 loop blocks detected.

Complexity

Count the number and nesting of passes over the input, then include the maintained containers in the memory estimate.

Check the problem constraints before deciding whether this complexity will pass.

Source

Code and credit

This code comes from walkccc LeetCode Solutions by P.-Y. Chen (walkccc) and is used under the MIT licence.

Open problem ↗Original source ↗
Full codeMinimum Pair Removal to Sort Array II · C++C++
Use this to learn the idea, then write your own version.
class Solution { public:  int minimumPairRemoval(vector<int>& nums) {    const int n = nums.size();    int ans = 0;    int inversionsCount = 0;    vector<int> nextIndices(n);    vector<int> prevIndices(n);    vector<long> values(nums.begin(), nums.end());     // Custom comparator for the set    auto comp = [](const pair<long, int>& a, const pair<long, int>& b) {      return a.first < b.first || (a.first == b.first && a.second < b.second);    };    set<pair<long, int>, decltype(comp)> pairSums(comp);     for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {      nextIndices[i] = i + 1;      prevIndices[i] = i - 1;    }     for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; ++i)      pairSums.insert({(long)nums[i] + nums[i + 1], i});     for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; ++i)      if (nums[i + 1] < nums[i])        ++inversionsCount;     while (inversionsCount > 0) {      ++ans;      auto smallestPair = *pairSums.begin();      pairSums.erase(pairSums.begin());       const long pairSum = smallestPair.first;      const int currIndex = smallestPair.second;      const int nextIndex = nextIndices[currIndex];      const int prevIndex = prevIndices[currIndex];       if (prevIndex >= 0) {        const long oldPairSum = values[prevIndex] + values[currIndex];        const long newPairSum = values[prevIndex] + pairSum;        pairSums.erase({oldPairSum, prevIndex});        pairSums.insert({newPairSum, prevIndex});        if (values[prevIndex] > values[currIndex])          --inversionsCount;        if (values[prevIndex] > pairSum)          ++inversionsCount;      }       if (values[nextIndex] < values[currIndex])        --inversionsCount;       const int nextNextIndex = (nextIndex < n) ? nextIndices[nextIndex] : n;      if (nextNextIndex < n) {        const long oldPairSum = values[nextIndex] + values[nextNextIndex];        const long newPairSum = pairSum + values[nextNextIndex];        pairSums.erase({oldPairSum, nextIndex});        pairSums.insert({newPairSum, currIndex});        if (values[nextNextIndex] < values[nextIndex])          --inversionsCount;        if (values[nextNextIndex] < pairSum)          ++inversionsCount;        prevIndices[nextNextIndex] = currIndex;      }       nextIndices[currIndex] = nextNextIndex;      values[currIndex] = pairSum;    }     return ans;  }};

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