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3376. Minimum Time to Break Locks I


Problem Description

Bob is trapped in a dungeon and needs to break n locks to escape. Each lock requires a specific amount of energy to break, which is stored in the array strength. Specifically, strength[i] represents the energy needed to break the iᵗʰ lock.

Bob uses a special sword with these characteristics:

  • The sword starts with an energy of 0.
  • The starting factor x for energy increase is 1.
  • Every minute, the sword's energy increases by the factor x.
  • To break the iᵗʰ lock, the sword's energy must reach at least strength[i].
  • After breaking a lock, the sword's energy resets to 0, and the factor x is increased by a given value k.

Your task is to determine the minimum time, in minutes, required for Bob to break all n locks and escape the dungeon.

Intuition

The problem requires us to calculate minimum time to break all locks, an optimal use of resources (sword energy) suggests a dynamic programming solution. The goal is to track which locks have been broken and compute the minimum time dynamically.

Here's the thought process:

  1. State Representation: Use a bitmask to represent the state, where each bit indicates whether a lock is broken.

  2. Sword Energy Calculations: Recognize that each lock contributes to an increasing factor for energy gain. If 'cnt' locks are broken, the energy gain factor becomes 1 + cnt * K.

  3. Recursive Exploration: Use depth-first search (DFS) with memoization (@cache) to explore all possible sequences of lock-breaking, accumulating the time needed and optimizing at each step.

  4. Base Case: The recursion stops when all locks are broken, at which point the time taken is 0.

  5. Transition: From a state i, consider breaking each possible lock j that hasn't been broken yet, calculate the time needed for that step (strength[j] + x - 1) // x, and explore the new state i | (1 << j).

The solution builds on this plan, caching results to ensure efficiency, breaking down the problem into smaller, manageable pieces by calculating the minimum time for each subset of broken locks.

Learn more about Depth-First Search, Dynamic Programming, Backtracking and Bitmask patterns.

Solution Approach

The solution utilizes a Depth-First Search (DFS) strategy combined with memoization to explore the possible sequences of breaking locks efficiently. This approach significantly reduces redundant calculations by storing already computed results.

Implementation Details

  1. Bitmask Representation: The function dfs(i) is designed to utilize a bitmask i to represent which locks have been broken. Each bit in this integer corresponds to a lock, with a 1 indicating a lock is broken and 0 indicating it is not.

  2. Memoization: The decorator @cache is used on the dfs function to memoize the results, preventing repeated calculations for the same state.

  3. Base Case: The recursion base case is when i equals (1 << len(strength)) - 1, which means all locks are broken. At this point, it returns 0 since no more time is needed.

  4. Recursive Exploration: For each lock j, if it's not yet broken in the current state i, we calculate the time required to break it. This is done using the formula (strength[j] + x - 1) // x, where x is 1 + cnt * K, and cnt is the current number of broken locks.

  5. Updating the state: For a lock j that is not yet broken, a recursive dfs call is made with the new state i | 1 << j. This effectively marks lock j as broken.

  6. Result Calculation: For each possible lock that can be broken next, calculate the minimum additional time required, aggregate it with recursive results, and find the minimum overall time.

By carefully exploring each possible set of broken locks and leveraging memoization, the solution efficiently computes the minimal time required for Bob to break all locks.

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Example Walkthrough

Let's walk through a small example using the given approach to highlight the solution's process.

Consider Bob has to break 3 locks with the required energy strengths [2, 3, 4], and the factor increment k is 1.

  1. Initial Setup:

    • The energy factor x starts at 1 since no locks are broken.
    • The sword's energy will increase by x (which is 1) each minute.
  2. Breaking the First Lock:

    • Bob assesses the locks. To break the first lock (strength[0] = 2), he needs the sword's energy to reach 2. This takes (2 + 1 - 1) // 1 = 2 minutes.
    • After breaking the first lock, the energy resets, and x increases to 1 + 1*1 = 2.
  3. Breaking the Second Lock:

    • Next, to break the second lock (strength[1] = 3), the sword must accumulate 3 energy, which now takes (3 + 2 - 1) // 2 = 1.5 or 2 minutes (since time is always rounded up to the nearest minute).
    • The energy resets, and x increases to 1 + 2*1 = 3.
  4. Breaking the Third Lock:

    • Finally, for the third lock (strength[2] = 4), the energy requirement is 4. It takes (4 + 3 - 1) // 3 = 1.6667 or 2 minutes.
    • No further x increase needed as all locks are broken.
  5. Total Time Calculation:

    • The total minimum time required is 2 (first lock) + 2 (second lock) + 2 (third lock) = 6 minutes.

Through dynamic programming with memoization, each possible sequence of breaking locks can be efficiently evaluated to determine the minimum required time. The bitmask and depth-first search maximize efficiency by storing intermediate results and avoiding redundant calculations.

Solution Implementation

1from functools import lru_cache
2from typing import List
3from math import inf
4
5class Solution:
6    def findMinimumTime(self, strength: List[int], K: int) -> int:
7        @lru_cache(None)
8        def dfs(state: int) -> int:
9            # Base case: when all elements are included in the state
10            if state == (1 << len(strength)) - 1:
11                return 0
12          
13            # Calculate how many elements are currently included
14            count_included = state.bit_count()
15          
16            # Compute the current multiplier
17            multiplier = 1 + count_included * K
18          
19            # Initialize the minimum time to infinity
20            min_time = inf
21          
22            # Explore each element that is not yet included in the state
23            for index, current_strength in enumerate(strength):
24                # Check if the index-th element is not yet included
25                if not (state >> index) & 1:
26                    # Calculate the time for this particular configuration
27                    new_time = dfs(state | (1 << index)) + (current_strength + multiplier - 1) // multiplier
28                    # Update the minimum time
29                    min_time = min(min_time, new_time)
30          
31            return min_time
32      
33        # Start the recursion with an initial state of 0 (no elements included)
34        return dfs(0)
35
1import java.util.List;
2
3class Solution {
4    private List<Integer> strength; // A list holding the strength values of each element.
5    private Integer[] memoizationArray; // Memoization array for storing already computed results.
6    private int numberOfK; // The 'k' parameter provided to balance with 'strength'.
7    private int totalElements; // Total number of elements in the 'strength' list.
8
9    public int findMinimumTime(List<Integer> strength, int K) {
10        // Initialize the number of elements in the list.
11        totalElements = strength.size();
12      
13        // Initialize the memoization array with null values, can store up to 2^n values
14        memoizationArray = new Integer[1 << totalElements];
15      
16        // Store the 'k' value for further calculations
17        numberOfK = K;
18      
19        // Associate the incoming 'strength' list to the instance variable
20        this.strength = strength;
21      
22        // Start the DFS from an initial state represented by '0' (no elements considered)
23        return calculateTime(0);
24    }
25
26    // Depth First Search helper method that works through subsets of elements using bit masking
27    private int calculateTime(int subsetMask) {
28        // Base case: if all elements are considered, return 0 time
29        if (subsetMask == (1 << totalElements) - 1) {
30            return 0;
31        }
32
33        // If already calculated, return the result from the memoization array
34        if (memoizationArray[subsetMask] != null) {
35            return memoizationArray[subsetMask];
36        }
37
38        // Count elements currently in the subset (determined by 'subsetMask')
39        int countElementsInSubset = Integer.bitCount(subsetMask);
40      
41        // Calculate the starting time factor based on the count of chosen elements
42        int timeFactor = 1 + countElementsInSubset * numberOfK;
43
44        // Initialize the minimum time to a large value
45        memoizationArray[subsetMask] = Integer.MAX_VALUE;
46      
47        // Try to include each element in the subset that is currently not included
48        for (int j = 0; j < totalElements; ++j) {
49            // Check if the element 'j' is not in the subset
50            if ((subsetMask >> j & 1) == 0) {
51                // Calculate the minimum time for this new subset configuration
52                memoizationArray[subsetMask] = Math.min(
53                    memoizationArray[subsetMask],
54                    calculateTime(subsetMask | (1 << j)) + (strength.get(j) + timeFactor - 1) / timeFactor
55                );
56            }
57        }
58
59        // Return the calculated minimum time for this subset configuration
60        return memoizationArray[subsetMask];
61    }
62}
63
1#include <vector>
2#include <cstring>
3#include <climits>
4
5class Solution {
6public:
7    int findMinimumTime(std::vector<int>& strength, int K) {
8        int n = strength.size(); // Number of soldiers
9        int dp[1 << n]; // DP array to store the minimum time for each state
10        std::memset(dp, -1, sizeof(dp)); // Initialize the DP array with -1 to indicate unvisited states
11
12        auto dfs = [&](auto&& self, int state) -> int {
13            if (state == (1 << n) - 1) { // All soldiers have been processed
14                return 0;
15            }
16            if (dp[state] != -1) { // If the state has already been computed, retrieve it
17                return dp[state];
18            }
19          
20            int enabledSoldiersCount = __builtin_popcount(state); // Count the number of enabled soldiers
21            int strengthFactor = 1 + K * enabledSoldiersCount; // Calculate the increase factor based on enabled soldiers
22          
23            dp[state] = INT_MAX; // Initialize the current state as maximum for comparison purposes
24          
25            for (int j = 0; j < n; ++j) {
26                // If soldier j is not yet enabled in this state
27                if ((state >> j & 1) == 0) {
28                    // Update the dp value by selecting soldier j and adding the necessary time
29                    dp[state] = std::min(dp[state], 
30                                         self(self, state | (1 << j)) + 
31                                         (strength[j] + strengthFactor - 1) / strengthFactor);
32                }
33            }
34            return dp[state];
35        };
36      
37        return dfs(dfs, 0); // Start DFS with state 0, no soldiers processed
38    }
39};
40
1// Calculate the minimum effort required to defeat all enemies
2function findMinimumTime(strength: number[], K: number): number {
3    const n = strength.length;  // Get the number of enemies
4    const f: number[] = Array(1 << n).fill(-1);  // Initialize memoization array with -1
5
6    // Depth-first search to explore all subsets of enemies
7    const dfs = (i: number): number => {
8        if (i === (1 << n) - 1) {
9            return 0;  // Base case: all enemies are defeated
10        }
11        if (f[i] !== -1) {
12            return f[i];  // Retrieve cached result if available
13        }
14        f[i] = Infinity;  // Set initial value for comparison
15
16        const x = 1 + K * bitCount(i);  // Compute effort multiplier based on defeated enemies count
17        for (let j = 0; j < n; ++j) {
18            if (((i >> j) & 1) === 0) {  // Check if the j-th enemy is undefeated
19                // Update the minimum effort required using recursive DFS
20                f[i] = Math.min(f[i], dfs(i | (1 << j)) + Math.ceil(strength[j] / x));
21            }
22        }
23        return f[i];  // Return the computed minimum effort
24    };
25
26    return dfs(0);  // Start DFS with no enemies defeated initially
27}
28
29// Count the number of set bits (1s) in the binary representation of a number
30function bitCount(i: number): number {
31    i = i - ((i >>> 1) & 0x55555555);  // Pairwise bit add
32    i = (i & 0x33333333) + ((i >>> 2) & 0x33333333);  // Sum pairs
33    i = (i + (i >>> 4)) & 0x0f0f0f0f;  // Sum nibbles
34    i = i + (i >>> 8);  // Sum bytes
35    i = i + (i >>> 16); // Sum 16-bit chunks
36    return i & 0x3f;  // Mask to keep only lower 6 bits which represents the count
37}
38

Time and Space Complexity

  • Time Complexity: The function dfs uses memoization for all possible states represented by a bitmask of length n (where n is the length of the strength list). This results in 2^n possible states. In each recursive call, we iterate over every element of strength, leading to a complexity of O(n * 2^n), where n is the number of elements in strength.

  • Space Complexity: The space complexity is driven by the memoization table, which can have up to 2^n entries. Additionally, the recursive depth can go up to n, giving us O(2^n + n). However, the recursive depth portion is negligible in comparison to 2^n, so overall space complexity is O(2^n).

Learn more about how to find time and space complexity quickly.


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