Leetcode #2422: Merge Operations to Turn Array Into a Palindrome
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #2422 Merge Operations to Turn Array Into a Palindrome 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
You are given an array nums consisting of positive integers. You can perform the following operation on the array any number of times: Choose any two adjacent elements and replace them with their sum.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Medium
- Premium: Yes
- Tags: Greedy, Array, Two Pointers
Intuition
The constraints hint that we can reason about two ends of the data at once, which is perfect for a two-pointer scan.
Moving one pointer at a time keeps the invariant intact and avoids nested loops.
Approach
Place pointers at the left and right ends and move them based on the comparison or target condition.
This yields a clean linear pass after any required sorting.
Steps:
- Set left and right pointers.
- Move a pointer based on the condition.
- Update the best answer while scanning.
Example
Input: nums = [4,3,2,1,2,3,1]
Output: 2
Explanation: We can turn the array into a palindrome in 2 operations as follows:
- Apply the operation on the fourth and fifth element of the array, nums becomes equal to [4,3,2,3,3,1].
- Apply the operation on the fifth and sixth element of the array, nums becomes equal to [4,3,2,3,4].
The array [4,3,2,3,4] is a palindrome.
It can be shown that 2 is the minimum number of operations needed.
Python Solution
class Solution:
def minimumOperations(self, nums: List[int]) -> int:
i, j = 0, len(nums) - 1
a, b = nums[i], nums[j]
ans = 0
while i < j:
if a < b:
i += 1
a += nums[i]
ans += 1
elif b < a:
j -= 1
b += nums[j]
ans += 1
else:
i, j = i + 1, j - 1
a, b = nums[i], nums[j]
return ans
Complexity
The time complexity is , where is the length of the array. 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.