Leetcode #2609: Find the Longest Balanced Substring of a Binary String
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #2609 Find the Longest Balanced Substring of a Binary String 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 binary string s consisting only of zeroes and ones. A substring of s is considered balanced if all zeroes are before ones and the number of zeroes is equal to the number of ones inside the substring.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Easy
- Premium: No
- Tags: String
Intuition
We need to scan characters while tracking positions or counts.
A simple state machine keeps the logic precise.
Approach
Iterate through the string once and update the state for each character.
Use a map or array if you need fast lookups.
Steps:
- Iterate through characters.
- Maintain necessary state.
- Build or validate the output.
Example
Input: s = "01000111"
Output: 6
Explanation: The longest balanced substring is "000111", which has length 6.
Python Solution
class Solution:
def findTheLongestBalancedSubstring(self, s: str) -> int:
def check(i, j):
cnt = 0
for k in range(i, j + 1):
if s[k] == '1':
cnt += 1
elif cnt:
return False
return cnt * 2 == (j - i + 1)
n = len(s)
ans = 0
for i in range(n):
for j in range(i + 1, n):
if check(i, j):
ans = max(ans, j - i + 1)
return ans
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.