Leetcode #1835: Find XOR Sum of All Pairs Bitwise AND
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #1835 Find XOR Sum of All Pairs Bitwise AND 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.

Problem Statement
The XOR sum of a list is the bitwise XOR of all its elements. If the list only contains one element, then its XOR sum will be equal to this element.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Hard
- Premium: No
- Tags: Bit Manipulation, Array, Math
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: arr1 = [1,2,3], arr2 = [6,5]
Output: 0
Explanation: The list = [1 AND 6, 1 AND 5, 2 AND 6, 2 AND 5, 3 AND 6, 3 AND 5] = [0,1,2,0,2,1].
The XOR sum = 0 XOR 1 XOR 2 XOR 0 XOR 2 XOR 1 = 0.
Python Solution
class Solution:
def getXORSum(self, arr1: List[int], arr2: List[int]) -> int:
a = reduce(xor, arr1)
b = reduce(xor, arr2)
return a & b
Complexity
The time complexity is , where and are the lengths of arrays and , respectively. The space complexity is .
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.