You are given an integer array arr
. From some starting index, you can make a series of jumps. The (1st, 3rd, 5th, ...) jumps in the series are called odd-numbered jumps, and the (2nd, 4th, 6th, ...) jumps in the series are called even-numbered jumps. Note that the jumps are numbered, not the indices.
You may jump forward from index i
to index j
(with i < j
) in the following way:
j
such that arr[i] <= arr[j]
and arr[j]
is the smallest possible value. If there are multiple such indices j
, you can only jump to the smallest such index j
.j
such that arr[i] >= arr[j]
and arr[j]
is the largest possible value. If there are multiple such indices j
, you can only jump to the smallest such index j
.i
, there are no legal jumps.A starting index is good if, starting from that index, you can reach the end of the array (index arr.length - 1
) by jumping some number of times (possibly 0 or more than once).
Return the number of good starting indices.
Example 1:
Input: arr = [10,13,12,14,15] Output: 2 Explanation: From starting index i = 0, we can make our 1st jump to i = 2 (since arr[2] is the smallest among arr[1], arr[2], arr[3], arr[4] that is greater or equal to arr[0]), then we cannot jump any more. From starting index i = 1 and i = 2, we can make our 1st jump to i = 3, then we cannot jump any more. From starting index i = 3, we can make our 1st jump to i = 4, so we have reached the end. From starting index i = 4, we have reached the end already. In total, there are 2 different starting indices i = 3 and i = 4, where we can reach the end with some number of jumps.
Example 2:
Input: arr = [2,3,1,1,4] Output: 3 Explanation: From starting index i = 0, we make jumps to i = 1, i = 2, i = 3: During our 1st jump (odd-numbered), we first jump to i = 1 because arr[1] is the smallest value in [arr[1], arr[2], arr[3], arr[4]] that is greater than or equal to arr[0]. During our 2nd jump (even-numbered), we jump from i = 1 to i = 2 because arr[2] is the largest value in [arr[2], arr[3], arr[4]] that is less than or equal to arr[1]. arr[3] is also the largest value, but 2 is a smaller index, so we can only jump to i = 2 and not i = 3 During our 3rd jump (odd-numbered), we jump from i = 2 to i = 3 because arr[3] is the smallest value in [arr[3], arr[4]] that is greater than or equal to arr[2]. We can't jump from i = 3 to i = 4, so the starting index i = 0 is not good. In a similar manner, we can deduce that: From starting index i = 1, we jump to i = 4, so we reach the end. From starting index i = 2, we jump to i = 3, and then we can't jump anymore. From starting index i = 3, we jump to i = 4, so we reach the end. From starting index i = 4, we are already at the end. In total, there are 3 different starting indices i = 1, i = 3, and i = 4, where we can reach the end with some number of jumps.
Example 3:
Input: arr = [5,1,3,4,2] Output: 3 Explanation: We can reach the end from starting indices 1, 2, and 4.
Constraints:
1 <= arr.length <= 2 * 104
0 <= arr[i] < 105
The problem asks to find the number of "good" starting indices in an integer array arr
. A starting index is considered "good" if, starting from that index, you can reach the end of the array by making a series of jumps. The jumps alternate between "odd-numbered jumps" and "even-numbered jumps".
j
such that arr[i] <= arr[j]
and i < j
.j
such that arr[i] >= arr[j]
and i < j
.The solution utilizes dynamic programming and a sorted map (or equivalent data structure) to efficiently determine the next jump index. Here's a breakdown:
1. Preprocessing:
TreeMap
in Java, SortedDict
in Python, map
in C++, redblacktree
in Go) to store the indices of array elements, sorted by their values. This allows for efficient lookup of the next jump index.2. Dynamic Programming (with Memoization):
dfs(i, k)
is a recursive function that determines whether it's possible to reach the end of the array from index i
with jump type k
(0 for even, 1 for odd).g[i][k]
stores the next jump index from index i
using jump type k
. It's pre-computed using the sorted map. A value of -1 indicates no valid jump.f[i][k]
is a memoization array that stores whether it's possible to reach the end from index i
with jump type k
. This avoids redundant calculations.3. Main Logic:
main
part of the solution iterates through each starting index i
and calls dfs(i, 1)
(starting with an odd jump).dfs(i, 1)
returns true
is the answer.Time Complexity: O(N log N)
The dominant operation is inserting and searching in the sorted map, which takes O(log N) time for each of the N elements.
Space Complexity: O(N)
The space is used by the memoization array f
and the sorted map.
class Solution:
def oddEvenJumps(self, arr: List[int]) -> int:
@cache # This is Python's decorator for memoization
def dfs(i: int, k: int) -> bool:
if i == n - 1:
return True
if g[i][k] == -1: # No valid jump
return False
return dfs(g[i][k], k ^ 1) # Recursively check the next jump
n = len(arr)
g = [[0] * 2 for _ in range(n)] # Stores the next jump index
sd = SortedDict() # Sorted dictionary to store indices
for i in range(n - 1, -1, -1):
# Find the next jump index using bisect_left (smallest >=) and bisect_right (largest <=)
j = sd.bisect_left(arr[i])
g[i][1] = sd.values()[j] if j < len(sd) else -1
j = sd.bisect_right(arr[i]) - 1
g[i][0] = sd.values()[j] if j >= 0 else -1
sd[arr[i]] = i # Add the current element to the sorted dictionary
return sum(dfs(i, 1) for i in range(n)) # Count good starting indices
The other languages (Java, C++, Go) follow a very similar structure, with the primary differences being in the specific data structures and syntax used. The core logic of dynamic programming and efficient lookup using a sorted map remains consistent.