Leetcode #630: Course Schedule III
In this guide, we solve Leetcode #630 Course Schedule III 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
There are n different online courses numbered from 1 to n. You are given an array courses where courses[i] = [durationi, lastDayi] indicate that the ith course should be taken continuously for durationi days and must be finished before or on lastDayi.
Quick Facts
- Difficulty: Hard
- Premium: No
- Tags: Greedy, Array, Sorting, Heap (Priority Queue)
Intuition
A locally optimal choice leads to a globally optimal result for this structure.
That means we can commit to decisions as we scan without backtracking.
Approach
Sort or preprocess if needed, then repeatedly take the best available local choice.
Maintain the minimal state necessary to validate the greedy decision.
Steps:
- Sort or preprocess as needed.
- Iterate and pick the best local option.
- Track the current solution.
Example
Input: courses = [[100,200],[200,1300],[1000,1250],[2000,3200]]
Output: 3
Explanation:
There are totally 4 courses, but you can take 3 courses at most:
First, take the 1st course, it costs 100 days so you will finish it on the 100th day, and ready to take the next course on the 101st day.
Second, take the 3rd course, it costs 1000 days so you will finish it on the 1100th day, and ready to take the next course on the 1101st day.
Third, take the 2nd course, it costs 200 days so you will finish it on the 1300th day.
The 4th course cannot be taken now, since you will finish it on the 3300th day, which exceeds the closed date.
Python Solution
class Solution:
def scheduleCourse(self, courses: List[List[int]]) -> int:
courses.sort(key=lambda x: x[1])
pq = []
s = 0
for duration, last in courses:
heappush(pq, -duration)
s += duration
while s > last:
s += heappop(pq)
return len(pq)
Complexity
The time complexity is O(n log n). The space complexity is O(1) to O(n).
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.