Binary Search and Sliding Window for K-th Smallest Pair Distance

I used to think Binary Search only helps find values. Now I'm using it to maximize the minimum. 🚀 Day 91/365 — DSA Challenge Solved: Magnetic Force Between Two Balls Problem: Place m balls in baskets such that the minimum distance between any two balls is maximized. This is the opposite of usual problems. We are maximizing a minimum value. So again, Binary Search on Answer. Pick a distance d: Can we place all balls so that each pair is at least d apart? If yes → try bigger distance If no → reduce distance The greedy part: Always place the next ball in the next valid position. This pattern is also known as: Aggressive Cows Problem ⏱ Time: O(n log range) 📦 Space: O(1) Day 91/365 complete. 💻 274 days to go. Code: https://lnkd.in/dad5sZfu #DSA #Java #LeetCode #BinarySearch #Algorithms #LearningInPublic

Yesterday's matrix problem was solved using traversal. Today's matrix problem was solved using Binary Search. Same topic. Different thinking. 🚀 Day 95/365 — DSA Challenge Solved: Search a 2D Matrix Key observation: The matrix is not just row-wise sorted. The first element of each row is greater than the last element of previous row. This means the matrix behaves like a sorted 1D array. So we can apply Binary Search. We convert index → row, col: row = mid / cols col = mid % cols And perform normal binary search. ⏱ Time: O(log(m * n)) 📦 Space: O(1) Day 95/365 complete. 💻 270 days to go. Code: https://lnkd.in/dad5sZfu #DSA #Java #LeetCode #BinarySearch #Matrix #LearningInPublic

📘 DSA Journey — Day 36 Today’s focus: Binary Search for boundaries. Problem solved: • Find First and Last Position of Element in Sorted Array (LeetCode 34) Concepts used: • Binary Search • Lower bound & upper bound • Searching boundaries efficiently Key takeaway: The goal is to find the first and last occurrence of a target in a sorted array. Instead of scanning linearly, we perform two binary searches: • First search → find the leftmost (first) occurrence • Second search → find the rightmost (last) occurrence Key idea: When we find the target: • For left boundary → continue searching in the left half • For right boundary → continue searching in the right half This ensures we capture the full range in O(log n) time. Continuing to strengthen binary search patterns and problem-solving consistency. #DSA #Java #LeetCode #CodingJourney

Day 4 of my DSA consistency journey Solved a classic problem today: Group Anagrams At first glance, it looks simple but if you try brute force (comparing every string with every other), it quickly becomes inefficient. Key idea I used: If two strings are anagrams, their sorted form will be the same. So the approach was: Convert each string to a character array Sort it Use the sorted string as a key in a HashMap Group all original strings under the same key Complexity: Time: O(n * k log k) Learned that this can be further optimized using character frequency instead of sorting Biggest takeaway: It’s not about solving the problem it’s about choosing the right approach early instead of wasting time on brute force. Consistency matters more than intensity. Showing up daily and improving step by step. #DSA #Java #CodingJourney #Consistency #Learning

Day 47 of Daily DSA 🚀 Solved LeetCode 74: Search a 2D Matrix ✅ Problem: Given a sorted 2D matrix where: • Each row is sorted • First element of each row > last element of previous row Find whether a target exists in the matrix. Approach: Used an optimized staircase search (top-right traversal). Steps: Start from top-right corner If element == target → return true If element > target → move left If element < target → move down Continue until found or out of bounds ⏱ Complexity: • Time: O(n + m) • Space: O(1) 📊 LeetCode Stats: • Runtime: 0 ms (Beats 100%) ⚡ • Memory: 43.84 MB Sometimes choosing the right starting point (top-right) makes the search super efficient 💡 #DSA #LeetCode #Java #Matrix #BinarySearch #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving

📘 DSA Journey — Day 35 Today’s focus: Binary Search with index patterns. Problem solved: • Single Element in a Sorted Array (LeetCode 540) Concepts used: • Binary Search • Index parity (even/odd pattern) • Search space reduction Key takeaway: The array is sorted and every element appears twice except one. A key observation: Before the single element, pairs start at even indices After the single element, this pattern breaks. Using binary search: • If mid is even and nums[mid] == nums[mid + 1], the single element lies on the right side • Else, it lies on the left side (including mid) By leveraging this pattern, we can find the answer in O(log n) time and O(1) space. Continuing to strengthen binary search intuition and consistency in problem solving. #DSA #Java #LeetCode #CodingJourney

Day 7/30 — DSA Challenge 🚀 Problem: Search a 2D Matrix Topic: Binary Search Difficulty: Medium Approach: Treated the 2D matrix as a flattened sorted array Applied Binary Search from 0 to (m * n - 1) Converted index → row = mid / m, col = mid % m Mistake / Challenge: Initially thought of searching row by row (O(n + m)) Realized problem expects O(log(m*n)) Fix: Applied Binary Search on the entire matrix Used index mapping to access elements Key Learning: Whenever matrix is sorted like this → think “1D Binary Search” Index mapping trick (row, col) is very powerful Time Taken: 40 minutes Consistency check ✅ See you on Day 8. GitHub Repo: https://lnkd.in/gHW9vKUf #DSA #LeetCode #Java #BinarySearch #Matrix #LearningInPublic

🚀 Day 45/60 – DSA Challenge Today’s problem was about searching in a Rotated Sorted Array using Binary Search 🔍 🔍 Problem Solved: Given a rotated sorted array, efficiently find the index of a target element. 🧠 Approach I Used: Instead of directly applying binary search, I broke the problem into two steps: 1️⃣ Find the pivot (rotation point) using binary search 2️⃣ Apply binary search on the correct half of the array Left half → sorted from start to pivot-1 Right half → sorted from pivot to end ⚡ Key Insight: By identifying the pivot, the problem becomes two simple binary searches Careful boundary checks (like target >= nums[0]) ensure we search in the correct half Handling edge cases (like pivot at index 0) is crucial for correctness 📈 Complexity: Time: O(log n) Space: O(1) 🎯 What I Learned: Complex problems can often be simplified by breaking them into smaller parts Binary Search is not just about searching—it’s about understanding structure Boundary conditions can make or break your solution Debugging edge cases today made the concept even clearer 💡 #Day45 #DSAChallenge #BinarySearch #Java #ProblemSolving #Consistency

𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟓𝟔 – 𝐃𝐒𝐀 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 | 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐬 🚀 Today’s problem focused on finding a peak element using binary search. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 • Find Peak Element 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 • Used binary search instead of linear scan • Compared the middle element with its next element Logic: • If nums[mid] > nums[mid + 1] → peak lies on the left side (including mid) • Else → peak lies on the right side • Continued until left == right 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 • Binary search can be applied on patterns, not just sorted arrays • A peak always exists due to problem constraints • Comparing adjacent elements helps determine direction • Reducing the search space is the key idea 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐭𝐲 • Time: O(log n) • Space: O(1) 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 Binary search is not about sorted arrays — it’s about eliminating half of the search space using logic. 56 days consistent 🚀 On to Day 57. #DSA #Arrays #BinarySearch #LeetCode #Java #ProblemSolving #DailyCoding #LearningInPublic #SoftwareDeveloper

Day 8/30 — DSA Challenge 🚀 Problem: Search a 2D Matrix II Topic: Matrix + Binary Search Pattern Difficulty: Medium Approach: Started from top-right corner of the matrix If current element == target → return true If current element < target → move down If current element > target → move left Mistake / Challenge: Initially tried applying binary search like previous problem (LeetCode 74) Realized matrix is not globally sorted, so that approach fails Fix: Used optimal “staircase search” approach Reduced time complexity efficiently Key Learning: Not all sorted matrices can be treated as 1D arrays Recognize pattern: row-wise + column-wise sorted → use pointer approach Time Taken: 45 minutes Consistency check ✅ See you on Day 9. GitHub Repo: https://lnkd.in/gHW9vKUf #DSA #LeetCode #Java #Matrix #BinarySearch #LearningInPublic