Merging two sorted arrays in-place with Java

Day 27 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #496: Next Greater Element I 🧩 Problem: Given two arrays nums1 and nums2, where nums1 is a subset of nums2, find the next greater element for each element of nums1 in nums2. If no greater element exists, return -1. 💡 Approach: Use a stack to track the next greater element for all numbers in nums2. Store results in a map for O(1) lookup when iterating nums1. This gives an efficient O(n) solution. 💻 Java Code: class Solution { public int[] nextGreaterElement(int[] nums1, int[] nums2) { Map<Integer, Integer> mpp = new HashMap<>(); Stack<Integer> st = new Stack<>(); for (int num : nums2) { while (!st.isEmpty() && st.peek() < num) { mpp.put(st.pop(), num); } st.push(num); } while (!st.isEmpty()) mpp.put(st.pop(), -1); int[] ans = new int[nums1.length]; for (int i = 0; i < nums1.length; i++) ans[i] = mpp.get(nums1[i]); return ans; } } ⏱️ Complexity: Time: O(nums1.length + nums2.length) Space: O(nums2.length) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 0 ms) This problem highlights how monotonic stacks can efficiently solve next-greater-element scenarios without nested loops. 

🚀 Day 31 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #704: Binary Search 🧩 Problem: Given a sorted array and a target value, find the index of the target using an algorithm with O(log n) time complexity. If the target doesn’t exist, return -1. 💡 Approach: This is a classic Binary Search problem. We use two pointers (i and j) to represent the current search range. Calculate the middle index mid. If nums[mid] equals the target → return mid. If target > nums[mid] → search the right half. Else → search the left half. Repeat until the range is empty. 💻 Java Code: class Solution { public int search(int[] nums, int target) { int i = 0, j = nums.length - 1; while (i <= j) { int mid_i = i + (j - i) / 2; int mid_val = nums[mid_i]; if (target < mid_val) { j = mid_i - 1; } else if (target > mid_val) { i = mid_i + 1; } else { return mid_i; } } return -1; } } ⏱️ Complexity: Time: O(log n) Space: O(1) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 0 ms) Binary Search — simple, efficient, and one of the most fundamental algorithms every developer must master.

🚀 Day 29 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #643: Maximum Average Subarray I 🧩 Problem: Given an integer array nums and an integer k, find the contiguous subarray of length k that has the maximum average value. 💡 Approach: This problem is a great example of the Sliding Window Technique 🪟 Calculate the sum of the first k elements. Then slide the window by one element at a time — subtract the element that goes out, add the new one coming in. Keep track of the maximum sum seen. Return the maximum average (maxSum / k). 💻 Java Code: class Solution { public double findMaxAverage(int[] nums, int k) { double sum = 0; for (int i = 0; i < k; i++) { sum += nums[i]; } double max = sum; for (int i = k; i < nums.length; i++) { sum += nums[i] - nums[i - k]; max = Math.max(max, sum); } return max / k; } } ⏱️ Complexity: Time: O(n) Space: O(1) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 0 ms) This one reinforces how sliding window optimizations can drastically simplify what looks like a brute-force problem!

🚀 Day 34 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #228: Summary Ranges 🧩 Problem: Given a sorted, unique integer array nums, return the smallest list of ranges that covers all numbers in the array exactly. Each range is represented as: "a->b" if the range covers more than one number. "a" if it covers a single number. 📘 Example: Input: nums = [0,1,2,4,5,7] Output: ["0->2", "4->5", "7"] 💡 Approach: We traverse the array while tracking the start of each range. Whenever we detect a break (i.e., the next number isn’t consecutive), we close the range and store it. 🔍 Steps: Initialize start = nums[0]. Traverse the array. If the next element isn’t consecutive, push "start->current" (or "start" if equal). Move to the next starting number and continue. 💻 Java Code: class Solution { public List<String> summaryRanges(int[] nums) { List<String> result = new ArrayList<>(); if (nums.length == 0) return result; int i = 0; while (i < nums.length) { int start = nums[i]; int j = i; while (j + 1 < nums.length && nums[j + 1] == nums[j] + 1) { j++; } if (start == nums[j]) { result.add(String.valueOf(start)); } else { result.add(start + "->" + nums[j]); } i = j + 1; } return result; } } ⏱️ Complexity: Time: O(n) Space: O(1) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 3 ms) It’s a simple yet elegant problem — a great reminder that clean logic often beats complex tricks

💡 LeetCode 1768 – Merge Strings Alternately 💡 Today, I solved LeetCode Problem #1768, a delightful string manipulation problem that strengthens the fundamentals of character traversal and string building using StringBuilder in Java. 🧩 Problem Overview: You’re given two strings, word1 and word2. Your task is to merge them alternately — take one character from each string in turn, and if one string is longer, append its remaining characters at the end. 👉 Examples: Input → word1 = "abc", word2 = "pqr" → Output → "apbqcr" Input → word1 = "ab", word2 = "pqrs" → Output → "apbqrs" Input → word1 = "abcd", word2 = "pq" → Output → "apbqcd" 💡 Approach: 1️⃣ Use two pointers i and j to iterate through both strings. 2️⃣ Append one character from word1, then one from word2, alternately. 3️⃣ Continue until both strings are fully traversed. 4️⃣ Return the merged string using StringBuilder.toString(). ⚙️ Complexity Analysis: ✅ Time Complexity: O(n + m) — Each character from both strings is processed once. ✅ Space Complexity: O(n + m) — For the resulting merged string. ✨ Key Takeaways: Reinforced understanding of two-pointer traversal and StringBuilder for efficient string concatenation. Showed how simple looping logic can elegantly handle strings of unequal lengths. Practiced writing clean, readable, and efficient code for basic string problems. 🌱 Reflection: Even simple problems like this one are valuable for sharpening algorithmic thinking and code clarity. Mastering these fundamental string operations lays the groundwork for tackling more advanced text-processing challenges later on. 🚀 #LeetCode #1768 #Java #StringManipulation #TwoPointerTechnique #DSA #ProblemSolving #CleanCode #AlgorithmicThinking #DailyCoding #ConsistencyIsKey

💻 DSA – Day 13 : Strings & StringBuilder Today I explored Strings in Java, a core concept used in almost every application — from input handling to algorithms, data processing, and problem-solving. Strings look simple, but there's a lot happening under the hood. 🌈 What I learned today 🔹 ❓ What are Strings? A sequence of characters stored as an object in Java. Strings are immutable, which means once created, they cannot be changed. 🔹 ⌨️ Input & Output Took string inputs using Scanner and printed them with basic operations. 🔹 📏 String Length Used .length() to find the number of characters. 🔹 ➕ String Concatenation Joined strings using +, concat(), and StringBuilder. 🔹 🔡 charAt() Method Accessed characters using index values. 🔹 🔄 Check if a String is Palindrome Compared characters from both ends to verify if the string reads the same backwards. 🔹 🧭 Shortest Path Problem Calculated the shortest path (N/E/W/S directions) using coordinate logic. 🔹 ⚖️ String compare() Compared strings lexicographically using .compareTo(). 🔹 ✂️ substring() Function Extracted specific parts of the string. 🔹 🏆 Print Largest String Compared strings alphabetically to find the largest one. 🔹 🔒 Why Strings Are Immutable? Because they are stored in the String Pool and designed for security, caching, and thread-safety. 🧵 StringBuilder – Faster & Mutable 🔹 Unlike Strings, StringBuilder is mutable 🔹 Perfect for modifying strings repeatedly (loops, concatenation, dynamic strings) ✨ Extra Concepts Learned 🔹 🔤 Convert Letters to Uppercase Converted the first letter of each word to uppercase (title case-style logic). 🔹 📦 String Compression Implemented character frequency compression like: aaabbccc → a3b2c3 🚀 Loving the learning curve Strings are everywhere — mastering them builds a strong foundation for upcoming DSA topics. #DSA #Strings #Java #StringBuilder #CodingJourney #100DaysOfCode #LearningInPublic #ProblemSolving #Day13

🚀 Day 47 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #1013: Partition Array Into Three Parts With Equal Sum 💬 Problem Summary: Given an array of integers, determine whether it can be split into three non-empty parts such that: Each part has the same sum, and The partitions appear in order (left → mid → right). Formally, we need to find indices i + 1 < j such that: sum(arr[0..i]) == sum(arr[i+1..j-1]) == sum(arr[j..end]) 🧩 Examples: Input: [0,2,1,-6,6,-7,9,1,2,0,1] Output: true ✔️ Three parts sum to 3 each. Input: [0,2,1,-6,6,7,9,-1,2,0,1] Output: false 🧠 Logic: This challenge focuses on finding equal prefix sums: 1️⃣ Compute total sum of the array. 2️⃣ If total sum is not divisible by 3 → ❌ impossible. 3️⃣ Walk through the array, accumulating values. 4️⃣ Each time a segment equals target = totalSum / 3, increase the partition count. 5️⃣ If we find 2 such partitions before the last index → array can be divided. 💻 Java Solution: class Solution { public boolean canThreePartsEqualSum(int[] arr) { int total = 0; for(int num : arr) total += num; if(total % 3 != 0) return false; int target = total / 3; int sum = 0, count = 0; for(int i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) { sum += arr[i]; if(sum == target) { count++; sum = 0; if(count == 2 && i < arr.length - 1) return true; } } return false; } } ⚙️ Complexity: Time: O(n) Space: O(1) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 0 ms) 💬 Takeaway: A great pattern-recognition problem—once you realize that only two valid partitions are needed (the third is implied), the solution becomes clean and efficient.

💡 LeetCode 1528 – Shuffle String 💡 Today, I solved LeetCode Problem #1528: Shuffle String, which tests how well you can handle index mapping and string reconstruction in Java — an elegant exercise in array manipulation and string handling. ✨ 🧩 Problem Overview: You’re given a string s and an integer array indices. Each character at position i in s must be moved to position indices[i] in the new string. Return the final shuffled string. 👉 Example: Input → s = "codeleet", indices = [4,5,6,7,0,2,1,3] Output → "leetcode" 💡 Approach: 1️⃣ Create a char array of the same length as s. 2️⃣ Loop through each character in s, placing it at the position specified by indices[i]. 3️⃣ Convert the filled character array back to a string. ⚙️ Complexity Analysis: ✅ Time Complexity: O(n) — Single pass through the string. ✅ Space Complexity: O(n) — For the result character array. ✨ Key Takeaways: Reinforced understanding of index mapping between arrays and strings. Practiced how to reconstruct a string efficiently without using extra data structures. A great example of how simple iteration can solve structured reordering problems cleanly. 🌱 Reflection: Sometimes, challenges like this remind us that not every problem requires a complex algorithm — precision, clarity, and clean mapping logic often do the job best. Staying consistent with such problems builds both confidence and coding discipline. 🚀 #LeetCode #1528 #Java #StringManipulation #ArrayMapping #DSA #ProblemSolving #CleanCode #CodingJourney #AlgorithmicThinking #ConsistencyIsKey

🚀 Day 38 of #100DaysOfCode – LeetCode Problem #747: Largest Number At Least Twice of Others 💡 Problem Summary: Given an integer array nums, find whether the largest number is at least twice as large as all other numbers. If it is, return the index of the largest element; otherwise, return -1. 📘 Example: Input: nums = [3,6,1,0] Output: 1 Input: nums = [1,2,3,4] Output: -1 🧠 Approach: Find the largest and second largest numbers in the array. If largest >= 2 * secondLargest, return the index of the largest. Otherwise, return -1. 💻 Java Solution: class Solution { public int dominantIndex(int[] nums) { int max = -1, second = -1, index = -1; for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) { if (nums[i] > max) { second = max; max = nums[i]; index = i; } else if (nums[i] > second) { second = nums[i]; } } return second * 2 <= max ? index : -1; } } ⚙️ Complexity: Time: O(n) Space: O(1) ✅ Result: Accepted (Runtime: 0 ms) 🎯 Key Takeaway: Sometimes, solving problems isn’t about complex algorithms — it’s about thinking clearly and tracking key elements efficiently.