Pseudo-Palindromic Paths in a Binary Tree — LeetCode 1457 Python Solution

The problem

Given a binary tree where node values are digits from 1 to 9. A path in the binary tree is said to be pseudo-palindromic if at least one permutation of the node values in the path is a palindrome.

Example

Input

root = [2,3,1,3,1,null,1]

Output

2

Explanation

The figure above represents the given binary tree. There are three paths going from the root node to leaf nodes: the red path [2,3,3], the green path [2,1,1], and the path [2,3,1]. Among these paths only red path and green path are pseudo-palindromic paths since the red path [2,3,3] can be rearranged in [3,2,3] (palindrome) and the green path [2,1,1] can be rearranged in [1,2,1] (palindrome).

Python solution

# Definition for a binary tree node.
# class TreeNode:
#     def __init__(self, val=0, left=None, right=None):
#         self.val = val
#         self.left = left
#         self.right = right
class Solution:
    def pseudoPalindromicPaths(self, root: Optional[TreeNode]) -> int:
        def dfs(root: Optional[TreeNode], mask: int):
            if root is None:
                return 0
            mask ^= 1 << root.val
            if root.left is None and root.right is None:
                return int((mask & (mask - 1)) == 0)
            return dfs(root.left, mask) + dfs(root.right, mask)

        return dfs(root, 0)

Complexity

Pattern: Bit Manipulation

Use XOR, masks and the low-bit trick to replace whole data structures with an integer. LeetCode 1457. Pseudo-Palindromic Paths in a Binary Tree is filed here because LeetCode tags it Bit Manipulation, which is the vocabulary this hub collects.

The bit manipulation guide has the Python template for the pattern and the 194 LeetCode problems that use it.

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