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Problem solution · Java

Find the Index of the Large Integer

Find the Index of the Large Integer: a Java solution using sliding window or two pointers. Learn the idea, check the complexity, and read the full code, with credit to walkccc LeetCode Solutions.

Technique
Sliding window or two pointers
Source
walkccc LeetCode Solutions
Length
34 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

Sliding window or two pointers

For Find the Index of the Large Integer, the implementation maintains a moving interval and updates only the information that enters or leaves the window.

  1. Choose the invariant that makes a window valid or useful.
  2. Advance the right boundary and add the new element.
  3. Move the left boundary only as needed while maintaining the invariant and updating the answer.

Code notes

  • 34 lines of Java from the credited upstream file 1533-2.java.
  • The implementation keeps its working state in language-native values and containers.
  • 1 loop block detected.

Complexity

Confirm that neither pointer moves backwards; if so, the scan is usually linear apart from the window’s data-structure operations.

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 codeFind the Index of the Large Integer · JavaJava
Use this to learn the idea, then write your own version.
/** * // This is ArrayReader's API interface. * // You should not implement it, or speculate about its implementation * interface ArrayReader { *     // Compares the sum of arr[l..r] with the sum of arr[x..y] *     // return 1 if sum(arr[l..r]) > sum(arr[x..y]) *     // return 0 if sum(arr[l..r]) == sum(arr[x..y]) *     // return -1 if sum(arr[l..r]) < sum(arr[x..y]) *     public int compareSub(int l, int r, int x, int y) {} * *     // Returns the length of the array *     public int length() {} * } */ class Solution {  public int getIndex(ArrayReader reader) {    int l = 0;    int r = reader.length() - 1;     while (l < r) {      final int m = (l + r) / 2;      final int res = (r - l + 1) % 2 == 0 ? reader.compareSub(l, m, m + 1, r) //                                           : reader.compareSub(l, m, m, r);      if (res == -1)        l = m + 1;      else // res == 1 || res == 0        r = m;    }     return l;  }}

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