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Leetcode #1009: Complement of Base 10 Integer

In this guide, we solve Leetcode #1009 Complement of Base 10 Integer in Python and focus on the core idea that makes the solution efficient.

You will see the intuition, the step-by-step method, and a clean Python implementation you can use in interviews.

Leetcode

Problem Statement

The complement of an integer is the integer you get when you flip all the 0's to 1's and all the 1's to 0's in its binary representation. For example, The integer 5 is "101" in binary and its complement is "010" which is the integer 2.

Quick Facts

  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Premium: No
  • Tags: Bit Manipulation

Intuition

The problem structure lets us track state with bitwise operations.

Bit operations are constant time and avoid extra memory.

Approach

Apply XOR/AND/OR and shifts to maintain the required invariant.

Aggregate the result in a single pass.

Steps:

  • Identify a bitwise invariant.
  • Combine values with bit operations.
  • Return the aggregated result.

Example

Input: n = 5 Output: 2 Explanation: 5 is "101" in binary, with complement "010" in binary, which is 2 in base-10.

Python Solution

class Solution: def bitwiseComplement(self, n: int) -> int: if n == 0: return 1 ans = i = 0 while n: ans |= ((n & 1 ^ 1) << i) i += 1 n >>= 1 return ans

Complexity

The time complexity is O(log⁡n)O(\log n)O(logn), where nnn is the given decimal number. The space complexity is O(1)O(1)O(1).

Edge Cases and Pitfalls

Watch for boundary values, empty inputs, and duplicate values where applicable. If the problem involves ordering or constraints, confirm the invariant is preserved at every step.

Summary

This Python solution focuses on the essential structure of the problem and keeps the implementation interview-friendly while meeting the constraints.


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