Leetcode #2577: Minimum Time to Visit a Cell In a Grid
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #2577 Minimum Time to Visit a Cell In a Grid 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 a m x n matrix grid consisting of non-negative integers where grid[row][col] represents the minimum time required to be able to visit the cell (row, col), which means you can visit the cell (row, col) only when the time you visit it is greater than or equal to grid[row][col]. You are standing in the top-left cell of the matrix in the 0th second, and you must move to any adjacent cell in the four directions: up, down, left, and right.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Hard
- Premium: No
- Tags: Breadth-First Search, Graph, Array, Matrix, Shortest Path, Heap (Priority Queue)
Intuition
We need to repeatedly access the smallest or largest element as the input changes.
A heap provides fast insertions and removals while keeping order.
Approach
Push candidates into the heap as you scan, and pop when you need the best element.
Keep the heap size bounded if the problem requires a top-k structure.
Steps:
- Push candidates into a heap.
- Pop the best candidate when needed.
- Maintain heap size or invariants.
Example
Input: grid = [[0,1,3,2],[5,1,2,5],[4,3,8,6]]
Output: 7
Explanation: One of the paths that we can take is the following:
- at t = 0, we are on the cell (0,0).
- at t = 1, we move to the cell (0,1). It is possible because grid[0][1] <= 1.
- at t = 2, we move to the cell (1,1). It is possible because grid[1][1] <= 2.
- at t = 3, we move to the cell (1,2). It is possible because grid[1][2] <= 3.
- at t = 4, we move to the cell (1,1). It is possible because grid[1][1] <= 4.
- at t = 5, we move to the cell (1,2). It is possible because grid[1][2] <= 5.
- at t = 6, we move to the cell (1,3). It is possible because grid[1][3] <= 6.
- at t = 7, we move to the cell (2,3). It is possible because grid[2][3] <= 7.
The final time is 7. It can be shown that it is the minimum time possible.
Python Solution
class Solution:
def minimumTime(self, grid: List[List[int]]) -> int:
if grid[0][1] > 1 and grid[1][0] > 1:
return -1
m, n = len(grid), len(grid[0])
dist = [[inf] * n for _ in range(m)]
dist[0][0] = 0
q = [(0, 0, 0)]
dirs = (-1, 0, 1, 0, -1)
while 1:
t, i, j = heappop(q)
if i == m - 1 and j == n - 1:
return t
for a, b in pairwise(dirs):
x, y = i + a, j + b
if 0 <= x < m and 0 <= y < n:
nt = t + 1
if nt < grid[x][y]:
nt = grid[x][y] + (grid[x][y] - nt) % 2
if nt < dist[x][y]:
dist[x][y] = nt
heappush(q, (nt, x, y))
Complexity
The time complexity is , and the space complexity is . 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.