Minimum Circular Distance in Array with Hash Map

🔍 Problem Summary: Given an array and multiple queries, for each query index, we need to find the minimum circular distance to another index having the same value. If no such element exists, return -1. 💡 Key Idea: Since the array is circular, distance can be calculated in two ways: forward and backward. For each value, store all its indices. For every query, check the nearest occurrence of the same value and compute the minimum circular distance. ⚡ Example Insight: For value 1 at index 0, nearest same value is at index 2 → distance = 2 If an element appears only once → result = -1 🧠 What I Learned: Efficient use of hash maps for indexing Handling circular traversal logic Optimizing search using preprocessing #DataStructures #ProblemSolving #CodingPractice #Python #Java #SoftwareEngineering #LearningJourney

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