3321. Find X-Sum of All K-Long Subarrays II
Problem Description
You are given an array nums
of n
integers and two integers k
and x
.
The x-sum of an array is calculated using the following procedure:
- Count the occurrences of all elements in the array
- Keep only the occurrences of the top
x
most frequent elements- If two elements have the same number of occurrences, the element with the bigger value is considered more frequent
- Calculate the sum of the resulting array
Note: If an array has less than x
distinct elements, its x-sum is simply the sum of the entire array.
Your task is to return an integer array answer
of length n - k + 1
where answer[i]
is the x-sum of the subarray nums[i..i + k - 1]
.
For example, if we have a subarray and need to find its x-sum with x = 2
:
- First, count how many times each element appears
- Select the top 2 most frequent elements (using value as tiebreaker if frequencies are equal)
- Sum up all occurrences of these top 2 elements
The problem asks you to compute this x-sum for every sliding window of size k
in the array, moving from left to right one position at a time.
Intuition
The key insight is that we need to efficiently maintain the top x
most frequent elements in a sliding window of size k
. As the window slides, elements enter and leave, which changes their frequencies and potentially affects which elements belong in the top x
.
Think of this problem as maintaining two groups of elements:
- The "elite" group: the top
x
most frequent elements whose occurrences contribute to the x-sum - The "waiting" group: all other elements that might get promoted to the elite group
When we slide the window:
- A new element enters on the right - its frequency increases
- An old element leaves on the left - its frequency decreases
These frequency changes might cause elements to move between the elite and waiting groups. An element with increased frequency might deserve promotion to the elite group, while an element with decreased frequency might need demotion.
To handle the tie-breaking rule (larger values are preferred when frequencies are equal), we can use tuples (frequency, value)
as our comparison key. This naturally ensures that when frequencies are equal, the larger value wins.
The challenge is efficiently maintaining these two groups and quickly calculating the x-sum. Using ordered data structures (like sorted lists) allows us to:
- Always know the weakest member of the elite group (smallest frequency/value pair)
- Always know the strongest member of the waiting group (largest frequency/value pair)
- Efficiently transfer elements between groups when needed
By maintaining a running sum s
of the elite group, we avoid recalculating the entire x-sum from scratch for each window. We only update s
when elements move in or out of the elite group, making each window's calculation very efficient.
The pattern of "remove old occurrence count, update frequency, add new occurrence count" ensures we properly handle the frequency changes without double-counting or missing elements during transitions.
Learn more about Sliding Window and Heap (Priority Queue) patterns.
Solution Approach
The solution uses a hash table combined with two ordered sets to efficiently track and update the x-sum as we slide the window across the array.
Data Structures:
cnt
: A Counter (hash table) to track the frequency of each element in the current windowl
: A SortedList storing the topx
most frequent elements as tuples(frequency, value)
r
: A SortedList storing the remaining elements not in the topx
s
: Running sum of all elements inl
(the x-sum)
Helper Functions:
The remove(v)
function handles removing an element's old state before updating its frequency:
- Creates a tuple
p = (cnt[v], v)
representing the element's current state - If
p
is in the elite setl
, removes it and subtracts its contribution froms
- Otherwise, removes it from the waiting set
r
The add(v)
function handles adding an element's new state after updating its frequency:
- Creates a tuple
p = (cnt[v], v)
representing the element's new state - If
l
is not empty andp
is greater than the smallest element inl
, it belongs in the elite group- Adds
p
tol
and updates the sums
- Adds
- Otherwise, adds
p
to the waiting setr
Main Algorithm:
-
Initialize the first window: Add the first
k
elements to build the initial window- For each element, remove its old state, increment its count, then add its new state
-
Balance the sets: After the window is built, ensure
l
contains exactlyx
elements (or all distinct elements if less thanx
)- While
l
has fewer thanx
elements andr
is not empty:- Move the largest element from
r
tol
and updates
- Move the largest element from
- While
l
has more thanx
elements:- Move the smallest element from
l
tor
and updates
- Move the smallest element from
- While
-
Record the x-sum: The current value of
s
is the x-sum for this window position -
Slide the window: Remove the leftmost element and continue to the next position
- Remove the old state of the departing element
- Decrement its count in
cnt
- Add its new state (which might be with count 0)
The process repeats for each window position, giving us an x-sum for each of the n - k + 1
possible windows.
Time Complexity: O(n × log k)
- Each element is added and removed once, with each operation taking O(log k)
time due to the sorted lists.
Space Complexity: O(n)
- For storing the counter and sorted lists.
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Start EvaluatorExample Walkthrough
Let's walk through a concrete example with nums = [1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3]
, k = 6
, and x = 2
.
Initial Setup:
- We need to find the x-sum for each window of size 6
- The x-sum includes only the top 2 most frequent elements
Window 1: [1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4]
Building the window element by element:
- Add 1:
cnt = {1:1}
, move (1,1) tol
,s = 1
- Add 1:
cnt = {1:2}
, update to (2,1) inl
,s = 2
- Add 2:
cnt = {1:2, 2:1}
, add (1,2) tol
,s = 3
- Add 2:
cnt = {1:2, 2:2}
, update to (2,2) inl
,s = 5
- Add 3:
cnt = {1:2, 2:2, 3:1}
, add (1,3) tor
(since we already have 2 elements inl
) - Add 4:
cnt = {1:2, 2:2, 3:1, 4:1}
, add (1,4) tor
Current state:
l = [(2,1), (2,2)]
- top 2 frequent elements (both appear twice)r = [(1,3), (1,4)]
- remaining elementss = 2×1 + 2×2 = 6
(x-sum for this window)
Sliding to Window 2: [1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 2]
Remove leftmost element (1):
- Remove (2,1) from
l
,s = 4
- Update
cnt = {1:1, 2:2, 3:1, 4:1}
- Add (1,1) back, but now it goes to
r
since (1,1) < (2,2)
Add rightmost element (2):
- Remove (2,2) from
l
,s = 0
- Update
cnt = {1:1, 2:3, 3:1, 4:1}
- Add (3,2) to
l
,s = 6
Balance sets (move highest from r
to l
until we have 2 elements):
- Move (1,4) from
r
tol
,s = 7
Current state:
l = [(1,4), (3,2)]
- element 2 appears 3 times, element 4 appears oncer = [(1,1), (1,3)]
s = 1×4 + 3×2 = 10
(x-sum for this window)
Sliding to Window 3: [2, 2, 3, 4, 2, 3]
Remove leftmost element (1):
- Remove (1,1) from
r
- Update
cnt = {2:3, 3:1, 4:1}
(element 1 is removed entirely) - No need to add anything back since count is 0
Add rightmost element (3):
- Remove (1,3) from
r
- Update
cnt = {2:3, 3:2, 4:1}
- Add (2,3) to
l
,s = 12
Balance sets (we now have 3 elements in l
, need to demote one):
- Move (1,4) from
l
tor
,s = 11
Current state:
l = [(2,3), (3,2)]
- element 3 appears 2 times, element 2 appears 3 timesr = [(1,4)]
s = 2×3 + 3×2 = 12
(x-sum for this window)
Final Result: answer = [6, 10, 12]
This walkthrough demonstrates how:
- The sorted lists maintain the top x elements dynamically
- The sum
s
is updated incrementally as elements move between sets - The tie-breaking rule favors larger values when frequencies are equal
- Elements smoothly transition between the elite and waiting groups as their frequencies change
Solution Implementation
1class Solution:
2 def findXSum(self, nums: List[int], k: int, x: int) -> List[int]:
3 """
4 Find the sum of top x frequent elements for each sliding window of size k.
5 Elements are ranked by (frequency, value) in descending order.
6
7 Args:
8 nums: Input array
9 k: Window size
10 x: Number of top frequent elements to sum
11
12 Returns:
13 List of sums for each window
14 """
15
16 def add_to_sets(value: int) -> None:
17 """Add element to either top_x_set or remaining_set based on its priority."""
18 if frequency_map[value] == 0:
19 return
20
21 priority_tuple = (frequency_map[value], value)
22
23 # If top_x_set is empty or this element has higher priority than the minimum in top_x_set
24 if top_x_set and priority_tuple > top_x_set[0]:
25 nonlocal current_sum
26 current_sum += priority_tuple[0] * priority_tuple[1] # frequency * value
27 top_x_set.add(priority_tuple)
28 else:
29 remaining_set.add(priority_tuple)
30
31 def remove_from_sets(value: int) -> None:
32 """Remove element from whichever set it belongs to."""
33 if frequency_map[value] == 0:
34 return
35
36 priority_tuple = (frequency_map[value], value)
37
38 if priority_tuple in top_x_set:
39 nonlocal current_sum
40 current_sum -= priority_tuple[0] * priority_tuple[1] # frequency * value
41 top_x_set.remove(priority_tuple)
42 else:
43 remaining_set.remove(priority_tuple)
44
45 # Initialize data structures
46 top_x_set = SortedList() # Maintains top x elements by (frequency, value)
47 remaining_set = SortedList() # Maintains remaining elements
48 frequency_map = Counter() # Tracks frequency of each element in current window
49 current_sum = 0 # Sum of top x elements
50 n = len(nums)
51 result = [0] * (n - k + 1) # Result array for each window
52
53 # Process each element
54 for i, current_value in enumerate(nums):
55 # Update frequency for current element
56 remove_from_sets(current_value)
57 frequency_map[current_value] += 1
58 add_to_sets(current_value)
59
60 # Calculate window start index
61 window_start = i - k + 1
62
63 # Skip if we haven't formed a complete window yet
64 if window_start < 0:
65 continue
66
67 # Balance the sets: ensure top_x_set has exactly x elements
68 # Move elements from remaining_set to top_x_set if needed
69 while remaining_set and len(top_x_set) < x:
70 element = remaining_set.pop()
71 top_x_set.add(element)
72 current_sum += element[0] * element[1]
73
74 # Move excess elements from top_x_set to remaining_set
75 while len(top_x_set) > x:
76 element = top_x_set.pop(0) # Remove smallest element
77 current_sum -= element[0] * element[1]
78 remaining_set.add(element)
79
80 # Store result for current window
81 result[window_start] = current_sum
82
83 # Remove the leftmost element of the window for next iteration
84 leftmost_element = nums[window_start]
85 remove_from_sets(leftmost_element)
86 frequency_map[leftmost_element] -= 1
87 if frequency_map[leftmost_element] > 0:
88 add_to_sets(leftmost_element)
89
90 return result
91
1class Solution {
2 // TreeSet to maintain top X frequent elements (sorted by frequency desc, then value desc)
3 private TreeSet<int[]> topElements = new TreeSet<>((a, b) ->
4 a[0] == b[0] ? a[1] - b[1] : a[0] - b[0]);
5
6 // TreeSet to maintain remaining elements not in top X
7 private TreeSet<int[]> remainingElements = new TreeSet<>(topElements.comparator());
8
9 // Map to track frequency count of each number in current window
10 private Map<Integer, Integer> frequencyMap = new HashMap<>();
11
12 // Running sum of (value * frequency) for top X elements
13 private long currentSum;
14
15 public long[] findXSum(int[] nums, int k, int x) {
16 int n = nums.length;
17 long[] result = new long[n - k + 1];
18
19 for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
20 int currentValue = nums[i];
21
22 // Remove old frequency entry before updating
23 removeFromSets(currentValue);
24
25 // Update frequency count for current value
26 frequencyMap.merge(currentValue, 1, Integer::sum);
27
28 // Add back with new frequency
29 addToSets(currentValue);
30
31 // Check if we have a complete window of size k
32 int windowStartIndex = i - k + 1;
33 if (windowStartIndex < 0) {
34 continue;
35 }
36
37 // Balance the sets to ensure topElements has exactly x elements (if possible)
38 // Move elements from remainingElements to topElements if needed
39 while (!remainingElements.isEmpty() && topElements.size() < x) {
40 int[] element = remainingElements.pollLast();
41 currentSum += 1L * element[0] * element[1]; // frequency * value
42 topElements.add(element);
43 }
44
45 // Move excess elements from topElements to remainingElements
46 while (topElements.size() > x) {
47 int[] element = topElements.pollFirst();
48 currentSum -= 1L * element[0] * element[1]; // frequency * value
49 remainingElements.add(element);
50 }
51
52 // Store the sum for current window
53 result[windowStartIndex] = currentSum;
54
55 // Remove the element going out of window
56 removeFromSets(nums[windowStartIndex]);
57
58 // Decrease frequency count for element leaving the window
59 frequencyMap.merge(nums[windowStartIndex], -1, Integer::sum);
60
61 // Add back with updated frequency (or not at all if frequency becomes 0)
62 addToSets(nums[windowStartIndex]);
63 }
64
65 return result;
66 }
67
68 /**
69 * Removes an element from either topElements or remainingElements set
70 * based on its current frequency
71 */
72 private void removeFromSets(int value) {
73 if (!frequencyMap.containsKey(value)) {
74 return;
75 }
76
77 // Create pair [frequency, value] to search in sets
78 int[] elementPair = new int[] {frequencyMap.get(value), value};
79
80 // Remove from appropriate set and update sum if needed
81 if (topElements.contains(elementPair)) {
82 topElements.remove(elementPair);
83 currentSum -= 1L * elementPair[0] * elementPair[1]; // frequency * value
84 } else {
85 remainingElements.remove(elementPair);
86 }
87 }
88
89 /**
90 * Adds an element to either topElements or remainingElements set
91 * based on comparison with current minimum in topElements
92 */
93 private void addToSets(int value) {
94 if (!frequencyMap.containsKey(value)) {
95 return;
96 }
97
98 // Create pair [frequency, value] for the element
99 int[] elementPair = new int[] {frequencyMap.get(value), value};
100
101 // Add to topElements if it's better than the minimum element there
102 if (!topElements.isEmpty() &&
103 topElements.comparator().compare(topElements.first(), elementPair) < 0) {
104 topElements.add(elementPair);
105 currentSum += 1L * elementPair[0] * elementPair[1]; // frequency * value
106 } else {
107 remainingElements.add(elementPair);
108 }
109 }
110}
111
1class Solution {
2public:
3 vector<long long> findXSum(vector<int>& nums, int k, int x) {
4 using FreqValuePair = pair<int, int>; // {frequency, value}
5
6 // topX: maintains the top x elements (by frequency, then by value)
7 // remaining: maintains elements not in top x
8 set<FreqValuePair> topX, remaining;
9 long long currentSum = 0; // Sum of (frequency * value) for elements in topX
10 unordered_map<int, int> frequency; // Maps value to its frequency in current window
11
12 // Helper function to add an element to the appropriate set after its frequency changes
13 auto addToSets = [&](int value) {
14 if (frequency[value] == 0) {
15 return; // Element not in window, nothing to add
16 }
17
18 FreqValuePair element = {frequency[value], value};
19
20 // If topX is empty or element is better than worst in topX, add to topX
21 if (!topX.empty() && element > *topX.begin()) {
22 currentSum += 1LL * element.first * element.second; // frequency * value
23 topX.insert(element);
24 } else {
25 remaining.insert(element);
26 }
27 };
28
29 // Helper function to remove an element from sets before its frequency changes
30 auto removeFromSets = [&](int value) {
31 if (frequency[value] == 0) {
32 return; // Element not in window, nothing to remove
33 }
34
35 FreqValuePair element = {frequency[value], value};
36
37 // Check if element is in topX
38 auto it = topX.find(element);
39 if (it != topX.end()) {
40 currentSum -= 1LL * element.first * element.second; // frequency * value
41 topX.erase(it);
42 } else {
43 remaining.erase(element);
44 }
45 };
46
47 vector<long long> result;
48
49 // Process each element in the array
50 for (int i = 0; i < nums.size(); ++i) {
51 // Update frequency for new element entering window
52 removeFromSets(nums[i]); // Remove old frequency entry
53 ++frequency[nums[i]]; // Update frequency
54 addToSets(nums[i]); // Add new frequency entry
55
56 // Calculate window start position
57 int windowStart = i - k + 1;
58 if (windowStart < 0) {
59 continue; // Window not yet complete
60 }
61
62 // Rebalance sets to maintain exactly x elements in topX (if possible)
63 // Move elements from remaining to topX if needed
64 while (!remaining.empty() && topX.size() < x) {
65 FreqValuePair best = *remaining.rbegin(); // Get best from remaining
66 currentSum += 1LL * best.first * best.second;
67 remaining.erase(best);
68 topX.insert(best);
69 }
70
71 // Move excess elements from topX to remaining if needed
72 while (topX.size() > x) {
73 FreqValuePair worst = *topX.begin(); // Get worst from topX
74 currentSum -= 1LL * worst.first * worst.second;
75 topX.erase(worst);
76 remaining.insert(worst);
77 }
78
79 // Add current window's x-sum to result
80 result.push_back(currentSum);
81
82 // Remove element leaving the window
83 removeFromSets(nums[windowStart]); // Remove old frequency entry
84 --frequency[nums[windowStart]]; // Update frequency
85 addToSets(nums[windowStart]); // Add new frequency entry (or nothing if freq becomes 0)
86 }
87
88 return result;
89 }
90};
91
1function findXSum(nums: number[], k: number, x: number): number[] {
2 // Custom comparator for frequency-value pairs
3 // Sorts by frequency (ascending), then by value (ascending)
4 const compareFreqValuePair = (a: [number, number], b: [number, number]): number => {
5 if (a[0] !== b[0]) return a[0] - b[0]; // Compare by frequency
6 return a[1] - b[1]; // Compare by value if frequency is same
7 };
8
9 // topX: maintains the top x elements (by frequency, then by value)
10 // Using arrays to simulate sorted sets
11 let topX: [number, number][] = []; // [frequency, value] pairs
12 let remaining: [number, number][] = []; // [frequency, value] pairs
13 let currentSum: number = 0; // Sum of (frequency * value) for elements in topX
14 const frequency: Map<number, number> = new Map(); // Maps value to its frequency in current window
15
16 // Helper function to add an element to the appropriate set after its frequency changes
17 const addToSets = (value: number): void => {
18 const freq = frequency.get(value) || 0;
19 if (freq === 0) {
20 return; // Element not in window, nothing to add
21 }
22
23 const element: [number, number] = [freq, value];
24
25 // If topX is empty or element is better than worst in topX, add to topX
26 if (topX.length > 0 && compareFreqValuePair(element, topX[0]) > 0) {
27 currentSum += freq * value; // frequency * value
28 topX.push(element);
29 topX.sort(compareFreqValuePair); // Keep sorted
30 } else {
31 remaining.push(element);
32 remaining.sort(compareFreqValuePair); // Keep sorted
33 }
34 };
35
36 // Helper function to remove an element from sets before its frequency changes
37 const removeFromSets = (value: number): void => {
38 const freq = frequency.get(value) || 0;
39 if (freq === 0) {
40 return; // Element not in window, nothing to remove
41 }
42
43 const element: [number, number] = [freq, value];
44
45 // Check if element is in topX
46 const topXIndex = topX.findIndex(item => item[0] === element[0] && item[1] === element[1]);
47 if (topXIndex !== -1) {
48 currentSum -= freq * value; // frequency * value
49 topX.splice(topXIndex, 1);
50 } else {
51 // Remove from remaining
52 const remainingIndex = remaining.findIndex(item => item[0] === element[0] && item[1] === element[1]);
53 if (remainingIndex !== -1) {
54 remaining.splice(remainingIndex, 1);
55 }
56 }
57 };
58
59 const result: number[] = [];
60
61 // Process each element in the array
62 for (let i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
63 // Update frequency for new element entering window
64 removeFromSets(nums[i]); // Remove old frequency entry
65 frequency.set(nums[i], (frequency.get(nums[i]) || 0) + 1); // Update frequency
66 addToSets(nums[i]); // Add new frequency entry
67
68 // Calculate window start position
69 const windowStart = i - k + 1;
70 if (windowStart < 0) {
71 continue; // Window not yet complete
72 }
73
74 // Rebalance sets to maintain exactly x elements in topX (if possible)
75 // Move elements from remaining to topX if needed
76 while (remaining.length > 0 && topX.length < x) {
77 const best = remaining[remaining.length - 1]; // Get best from remaining (last element)
78 currentSum += best[0] * best[1]; // frequency * value
79 remaining.pop();
80 topX.push(best);
81 topX.sort(compareFreqValuePair); // Keep sorted
82 }
83
84 // Move excess elements from topX to remaining if needed
85 while (topX.length > x) {
86 const worst = topX[0]; // Get worst from topX (first element)
87 currentSum -= worst[0] * worst[1]; // frequency * value
88 topX.shift();
89 remaining.push(worst);
90 remaining.sort(compareFreqValuePair); // Keep sorted
91 }
92
93 // Add current window's x-sum to result
94 result.push(currentSum);
95
96 // Remove element leaving the window
97 removeFromSets(nums[windowStart]); // Remove old frequency entry
98 const currentFreq = frequency.get(nums[windowStart]) || 0;
99 if (currentFreq > 1) {
100 frequency.set(nums[windowStart], currentFreq - 1); // Update frequency
101 } else {
102 frequency.delete(nums[windowStart]); // Remove if frequency becomes 0
103 }
104 addToSets(nums[windowStart]); // Add new frequency entry (or nothing if freq becomes 0)
105 }
106
107 return result;
108}
109
Time and Space Complexity
Time Complexity: O(n * k * log(k))
The algorithm uses a sliding window approach with two SortedLists to maintain the top x
elements by frequency and value. Breaking down the operations:
- The outer loop runs
n
times (once for each element innums
) - For each iteration:
remove(v)
operation: Removing from a SortedList takesO(log(k))
time in the worst case, as the SortedList can contain at mostk
distinct elementsadd(v)
operation: Adding to a SortedList takesO(log(k))
time- The while loops for balancing between
l
andr
SortedLists:- Each element can move between
l
andr
at most once per window - Pop and add operations each take
O(log(k))
time
- Each element can move between
- For the window at position
j
:- Remove operation for
nums[j]
:O(log(k))
- Add operation for
nums[j]
:O(log(k))
- Remove operation for
Since we perform a constant number of O(log(k))
operations per element, and we process n
elements total, with potential rebalancing operations that could involve up to k
elements in the worst case, the overall time complexity is O(n * k * log(k))
.
Space Complexity: O(k)
The space usage consists of:
l
andr
SortedLists: Combined they store at mostk
distinct elements (one entry per distinct value in the current window), soO(k)
spacecnt
Counter: Stores at mostk
distinct elements from the current window, soO(k)
spaceans
array: Storesn - k + 1
results, which isO(n)
space- Other variables (
s
,i
,j
, etc.):O(1)
space
The dominant space complexity excluding the output array is O(k)
. Including the output array, the total space complexity is O(n)
.
Learn more about how to find time and space complexity quickly.
Common Pitfalls
1. Incorrect Handling of Element Priority When Frequencies Are Equal
A critical pitfall is misunderstanding how elements should be prioritized when they have the same frequency. The problem states that when frequencies are equal, the element with the bigger value should be considered more frequent. This means the comparison tuple should be (frequency, value)
in that order, which naturally gives us the correct sorting behavior.
Incorrect approach:
# Wrong: Using (value, frequency) would prioritize value over frequency priority_tuple = (value, frequency_map[value])
Correct approach:
# Correct: Using (frequency, value) prioritizes frequency first, then value as tiebreaker priority_tuple = (frequency_map[value], value)
2. Not Handling Zero-Frequency Elements Properly
When an element's frequency becomes 0 (after being removed from the window), attempting to add it to the sorted sets creates unnecessary overhead and potential bugs. The element with frequency 0 shouldn't contribute to any calculations.
Problem:
def add_to_sets(value: int) -> None:
# Missing check for zero frequency
priority_tuple = (frequency_map[value], value)
# This would add (0, value) to the sets unnecessarily
Solution:
def add_to_sets(value: int) -> None:
if frequency_map[value] == 0:
return # Skip elements with zero frequency
priority_tuple = (frequency_map[value], value)
# ... rest of the logic
3. Incorrect Sum Calculation
A common mistake is forgetting that the sum should include all occurrences of the top x elements, not just counting each unique element once.
Incorrect:
# Wrong: Only adds the value once current_sum += priority_tuple[1] # Just adds the value
Correct:
# Correct: Multiplies value by its frequency current_sum += priority_tuple[0] * priority_tuple[1] # frequency * value
4. Improper Set Balancing After Window Updates
After adding or removing elements, the sets might become unbalanced. The top_x_set should always contain exactly x elements (or all distinct elements if fewer than x exist). Failing to rebalance after each window update leads to incorrect results.
Issue: Not moving elements between sets when needed:
# After updating the window, forgetting to rebalance: result[window_start] = current_sum # Wrong if sets are unbalanced
Solution: Always rebalance before calculating the result:
# Move elements from remaining_set to top_x_set if needed
while remaining_set and len(top_x_set) < x:
element = remaining_set.pop()
top_x_set.add(element)
current_sum += element[0] * element[1]
# Move excess elements from top_x_set to remaining_set
while len(top_x_set) > x:
element = top_x_set.pop(0)
current_sum -= element[0] * element[1]
remaining_set.add(element)
# Now calculate the result
result[window_start] = current_sum
5. Edge Case: When Window Has Fewer Than x Distinct Elements
The problem states that if a window has fewer than x distinct elements, the x-sum is the sum of the entire array. The balancing logic handles this automatically by keeping all elements in top_x_set when there are fewer than x distinct elements, but it's important to understand this behavior.
Key insight: The while loop condition while remaining_set and len(top_x_set) < x
ensures we only move elements if they exist in remaining_set, naturally handling the case where we have fewer than x distinct elements.
Which of the following is a good use case for backtracking?
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