Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal — LeetCode 1887 Python Solution

MediumArraySorting
Problem
#1887
Pattern
Sorting
Reading time
2 min

The problem

Given an integer array nums, your goal is to make all elements in nums equal. To complete one operation, follow these steps: Find the largest value in nums.

Example

Input
nums = [5,1,3]
Output
3
Explanation
It takes 3 operations to make all elements in nums equal:

Python solution

Python
class Solution:
    def reductionOperations(self, nums: List[int]) -> int:
        nums.sort()
        ans = cnt = 0
        for a, b in pairwise(nums):
            if a != b:
                cnt += 1
            ans += cnt
        return ans

Complexity

MeasureComplexity
TimeO(n \times \log n)
SpaceO(\log n) auxiliary

Pattern: Sorting

Spend O(n log n) once to buy an ordering that makes the rest of the problem trivial. LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal is filed here because LeetCode tags it Sorting, which is the vocabulary this hub collects.

The sorting guide has the Python template for the pattern and the 401 LeetCode problems that use it.

Related problems

Frequently asked questions

How hard is LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal?
LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal is rated Medium on LeetCode.
What is the time complexity of LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal?
The Python solution on this page runs in O(n \times \log n).
What is the space complexity of LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal?
The Python solution on this page uses O(\log n) auxiliary space.
What topics does LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal cover?
LeetCode 1887. Reduction Operations to Make the Array Elements Equal is tagged Array and Sorting on LeetCode.

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