Java Grid Traversal Challenge: Finding Largest Rhombus Sums

🔥 Day 59/100 – LeetCode Challenge 📌 Problem Solved: Remove Duplicates from Sorted Array II (Medium) Today’s problem was a great exercise in in-place array manipulation and two-pointer technique. 💡 Key Idea: Since the array is already sorted, duplicates are adjacent. Instead of removing all duplicates, we allow each element to appear at most twice. 👉 The trick is to compare the current element with the element at index k-2. If they are the same → skip ❌ If different → keep it ✅ ⚙️ Approach: Initialize pointer k = 2 Traverse from index 2 Copy valid elements forward Maintain order without extra space 🧠 What I learned: How to efficiently handle constraints like “at most twice” Importance of thinking in terms of index relationships (k-2) Writing optimal O(n) solutions with O(1) space 📊 Performance: ⚡ Runtime: 0 ms (100%) 💾 Memory: 48.46 MB 💻 Tech Used: Java Consistency is key 🔑 — 59 days done, 41 more to go! #100DaysOfCode #LeetCode #Java #DataStructures #CodingChallenge #ProblemSolving #TechJourney

🚀 Day 536 of #750DaysOfCode 🚀 Today I solved Count Submatrices With Equal Frequency of X and Y (LeetCode 3212) using Java. 🔹 Problem Summary: Given a grid containing 'X', 'Y', and '.', we need to count the number of submatrices starting from the top-left corner (0,0) such that: • The number of 'X' and 'Y' is equal • The submatrix contains at least one 'X' 🔹 Approach: Instead of checking every possible submatrix (which would be too slow), I used the Prefix Sum technique. I maintained two prefix matrices to store the count of 'X' and 'Y' up to each cell. For every position (i, j), I checked: countX == countY and countX > 0 If true, that submatrix is valid. This reduces the complexity to O(n × m), which works efficiently for large grids. 🔹 Key Concepts Learned: ✅ Prefix Sum in 2D ✅ Matrix traversal optimization ✅ Handling constraints up to 1000 × 1000 ✅ Clean implementation in Java Consistent practice is making problem-solving faster and more structured every day. #750DaysOfCode #Day536 #LeetCode #Java #DataStructures #Algorithms #PrefixSum #CodingChallenge #ProblemSolving

🚀 Day 97 of My 100 Days LeetCode Challenge | Java Today’s problem was a solid exercise in matrix processing and prefix sum optimization. The goal was to count the number of submatrices whose sum is less than or equal to a given value (k). A brute-force approach would be too slow, so the key was to use 2D prefix sums to efficiently compute submatrix sums. By converting the matrix into a prefix sum matrix, we can calculate the sum of any submatrix in constant time, making the overall solution much more efficient. ✅ Problem Solved: Count Submatrices With Sum ≤ K ✔️ All test cases passed (859/859) ⏱️ Runtime: 7 ms 🧠 Approach: 2D Prefix Sum 🧩 Key Learnings: ● Prefix sums are powerful for optimizing repeated range sum queries. ● 2D prefix sums extend the same idea from arrays to matrices. ● Preprocessing can drastically reduce computation time. ● Avoiding brute force is key in large input problems. ● Matrix problems often become easier with the right transformation. This problem reinforced how preprocessing techniques like prefix sums can turn complex problems into efficient solutions. 🔥 Day 97 complete — sharpening matrix optimization and prefix sum skills. #LeetCode #100DaysOfCode #Java #PrefixSum #Matrix #Algorithms #ProblemSolving #DSA #CodingJourney #Consistency

🚀 LeetCode Problem of the Day 📌 Problem: Minimum Distance to Target Element Given an integer array nums (0-indexed) and two integers target and start, we need to find an index i such that: nums[i] == target |i - start| is minimized 👉 Return the minimum absolute distance. 💡 Key Idea: We simply scan the array and track the minimum distance whenever we find the target. 🧠 Approach Traverse the array Whenever nums[i] == target, compute abs(i - start) Keep updating the minimum result 💻 Java Solution class Solution { public int getMinDistance(int[] nums, int target, int start) { int res = Integer.MAX_VALUE; for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) { if (nums[i] == target) { res = Math.min(res, Math.abs(i - start)); } } return res; } } 📊 Complexity Analysis ⏱ Time Complexity: O(n) → single pass through the array 🧠 Space Complexity: O(1) → no extra space used ⚡ Simple linear scan, optimal solution — sometimes brute force is already the best solution! #LeetCode #Coding #Java #ProblemSolving #DataStructures #Algorithms #InterviewPrep

🔥 Day 36 of #75DaysofLeetCode 🔥 LeetCode 437 – Path Sum III | Prefix Sum + DFS Magic! Struggled with counting paths in a binary tree that sum up to a target? 🤔 This problem looks like a typical tree traversal… but the optimal solution is 🔥 next-level thinking. 💡 Problem Insight: We need to count all paths (not necessarily from root) where the sum equals targetSum. Condition → Path must go downwards (parent → child). 🚫 Brute Force Idea: Start DFS from every node → check all paths ⏱️ Time Complexity: O(n²) (not efficient) ⚡ Optimized Approach: Prefix Sum + HashMap Instead of recomputing sums, we: ✔ Maintain a running sum (currentSum) ✔ Store previous sums in a HashMap ✔ Check if (currentSum - targetSum) exists 👉 This tells us how many valid paths end at the current node! 🧠 Core Logic: Add current node value to currentSum Check: currentSum - targetSum in map Update map before recursion Backtrack after recursion ⏱️ Complexity: Time: O(n) Space: O(n) 🚀 Key Takeaway: Whenever you see: 👉 "subarray sum = k" or 👉 "path sum = target" Think Prefix Sum + HashMap 💡 #LeetCode #DSA #Java #CodingInterview #BinaryTree #Programming #SoftwareEngineering #100DaysOfCode

🚀 Day 96 of My 100 Days LeetCode Challenge | Java Today’s problem was a great combination of matrix manipulation and optimization thinking. The challenge was to find the largest submatrix consisting of only 1’s, where we are allowed to rearrange the columns in each row. At first, it looks like a standard matrix problem, but the twist is the column rearrangement, which changes how we approach it. Instead of checking fixed columns, we treat each row like a histogram and sort column heights to maximize the possible area. By building heights of consecutive 1’s and then sorting each row, we can efficiently compute the maximum possible rectangle area. ✅ Problem Solved: Largest Submatrix With Rearrangements ✔️ All test cases passed (59/59) ⏱️ Runtime: 13 ms 🧠 Approach: Matrix + Greedy + Sorting 🧩 Key Learnings: ● Transforming a matrix into histogram heights simplifies the problem. ● Sorting can help maximize outcomes when order is flexible. ● Greedy strategies work well when rearrangements are allowed. ● Small problem twists (like column swaps) can completely change the approach. ● Thinking in terms of heights and widths helps in area-based problems. This problem was a reminder that changing perspective (matrix → histogram) can make complex problems much simpler. 🔥 Day 96 complete — improving matrix problem-solving and optimization skills. #LeetCode #100DaysOfCode #Java #Matrix #Greedy #Algorithms #ProblemSolving #DSA #CodingJourney #Consistency

🚀 Day 31 of #LeetCode Challenge 🔍 Problem: Decode the Slanted Ciphertext Today’s problem was all about understanding patterns and matrix traversal in a clever way! 💡 Key Idea: * The encoded string is formed by writing characters in a matrix row-wise * The trick is to read diagonally (↘️ direction) to decode the original message * No need to build a 2D matrix — we can directly calculate indices! 🧠 What I Learned: * How to convert 1D string into virtual 2D matrix * Diagonal traversal techniques * Importance of trimming trailing spaces in string problems ⚡️ Approach: * Calculate number of columns → cols = n / rows * Traverse diagonally from each column * Append characters using index formula i * cols + j * Remove extra spaces at the end 💻 Language: Java 🎯 Time Complexity: O(n) 📦 Space Complexity: O(n) Consistency is the key 🔑 — one problem at a time, getting better every day! #Day31 #LeetCode #Java #CodingJourney #ProblemSolving #100DaysOfCode

🚀 LeetCode – Subsets | Backtracking Approach Given an integer array nums of unique elements, return all possible subsets (the power set). The solution set must not contain duplicate subsets. Return the solution in any order. 💡 Approach Used – Backtracking I used a recursive backtracking strategy where:  1. Start with an empty subset  2. Add the current subset to the result  3. Choose an element and explore further combinations  4. Backtrack by removing the element to try other possibilities This ensures that we explore all possible combinations systematically. Since each element has two choices (include or exclude), the total subsets become 2ⁿ. #LeetCode #DSA #Backtracking #Java #CodingPractice #Algorithms #ProblemSolving #SoftwareEngineering #TechLearning

Classical Backtracking Problem with a Classical Approach Solved Word Search (LeetCode 79) using a clean and intuitive DFS + Backtracking strategy Approach (Simple & Clear): •Start from every cell that matches the first character of the word. •Use DFS (Depth-First Search) to explore all 4 directions (up, down, left, right). •Mark the current cell as visited (by replacing it temporarily) to avoid revisiting. •If the full word is matched → return true immediately. •Backtrack by restoring the cell when the path doesn’t work. Key Insight: We explore all possible paths, but prune early when characters don’t match — this keeps the solution efficient. ⏱️ Time Complexity: 👉 O(m × n × 4^L) •m × n → starting points •4^L → exploring 4 directions for each character of length L 📌 Space Complexity: 👉 O(L) (recursion stack) 🔥 Clean recursion + smart backtracking = problem cracked! #DSA #Backtracking #LeetCode #CodingInterview #Java #ProblemSolving

🚀 Tackling algorithmic challenges one substring at a time! Just solved the “Number of Substrings Containing All Three Characters” problem in Java using a sliding window approach. ✨ Key takeaway: Efficient solutions often come from thinking in terms of windows and counts rather than brute force. 💻 Output validated with test cases — clean, optimized, and accepted! #Java #CodingChallenge #ProblemSolving #DataStructures #Algorithms #LeetCode #ProgrammingJourney