Ever wondered who has the most candies?
Imagine you're at a party with your friends. Everyone has a handful of candies. But the question is, who has the most? It’s a fun challenge, right? Counting candies might seem simple, but what if you could solve this problem with coding?
This reminds me of a story about Elon Musk. As a child, he wasn't the strongest or the fastest, but he had a lot of curiosity and determination—his own "candies." Over time, by adding a bit more effort every day, he built an empire.
Just like that, in programming, a small change can make all the difference. Today, we’re going to explore how a simple coding challenge—finding out which kids can have the greatest number of candies—can help us understand some fundamental coding concepts.
Problem statement: Who can have the most candies?
Let’s say there are a few kids, and each one has a different number of candies. You can give each kid some extra candies, but you want to know if they can end up with the most candies compared to everyone else. For example:
- Kid 1 has 2 candies
- Kid 2 has 3 candies
- Kid 3 has 5 candies
- Kid 4 has 1 candy
- Kid 5 has 4 candies
If you give each kid 3 extra candies, who will have the most? This is what we need to figure out.
Sample input
1candies = [2, 3, 5, 1, 3], extraCandies = 3Sample output
1[true, true, true, false, true]Explanation:
- Kid 1 can reach 5 candies (2 + 3 = 5), which is the maximum.
- Kid 2 can have 6 candies (3 + 3 = 6), more than the maximum.
- Kid 3 already has the most candies.
- Kid 4 can only reach 4 candies (1 + 3 = 4), less than the maximum.
- Kid 5 can reach 7 candies (4 + 3 = 7), more than the maximum.
How do we solve this?
To solve this problem, we’ll follow these steps:
- Find the Maximum Candies: First, find out who has the most candies right now.
- Check Each Kid: Add the extra candies to each kid’s total and compare it to the maximum.
- Determine the Result: If a kid can have the most candies, we mark it as True; otherwise, False.
Pseudo code: Let’s break it down
Here’s a simple explanation in plain English:
- Find out the maximum number of candies any kid currently has.
- Make a list to store the results.
- For each kid, add the extra candies to their current amount.
- Compare it to the maximum. If it’s equal or more, add True to the list. If not, add False.
- Return the list with the results.
Method 1: Brute force approach
This method is straightforward and checks each possibility. It’s simple but not the most efficient.
Python code:
1def kids_with_greatest_candies(candies, extra_candies):
2 # Find the maximum number of candies
3 max_candies = max(candies)
4
5 # List to store results
6 result = []
7
8 # Check each kid's candies after adding extra candies
9 for candy in candies:
10 result.append(candy + extra_candies >= max_candies)
11
12 return result
13
14# Sample input
15candies = [2, 3, 5, 1, 4]
16extra_candies = 3
17# Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
18print("Output:", kids_with_greatest_candies(candies, extra_candies))Explanation:
- Max Candies: We find out the maximum number of candies any kid has.
- Check Each Kid: We add the extra candies to each kid’s total and check if it’s equal to or more than the maximum.
- Result: We store True or False based on whether the kid can have the most candies.
Java code:
1import java.util.ArrayList;
2import java.util.List;
3
4public class KidsWithGreatestCandies {
5 public static List<Boolean> kidsWithGreatestCandies(int[] candies, int extraCandies) {
6 // Find the maximum number of candies
7 int maxCandies = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
8 for (int candy : candies) {
9 if (candy > maxCandies) {
10 maxCandies = candy;
11 }
12 }
13
14 // List to store results
15 List<Boolean> result = new ArrayList<>();
16
17 // Check each kid's candies after adding extra candies
18 for (int candy : candies) {
19 result.add(candy + extraCandies >= maxCandies);
20 }
21
22 return result;
23 }
24
25 public static void main(String[] args) {
26 int[] candies = {2, 3, 5, 1, 4};
27 int extraCandies = 3;
28 // Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
29 System.out.println("Output: " + kidsWithGreatestCandies(candies, extraCandies));
30 }
31}Explanation:
- Max Candies: We loop through to find the maximum number of candies.
- Check Each Kid: We add the extra candies and check if the kid can reach or exceed the maximum.
- Store Results: We store the results as True or False in a list.
C++ code:
1#include <iostream>
2#include <vector>
3
4std::vector<bool> kidsWithGreatestCandies(std::vector<int>& candies, int extraCandies) {
5 // Find the maximum number of candies
6 int maxCandies = *max_element(candies.begin(), candies.end());
7
8 // Vector to store results
9 std::vector<bool> result;
10
11 // Check each kid's candies after adding extra candies
12 for (int candy : candies) {
13 result.push_back(candy + extraCandies >= maxCandies);
14 }
15
16 return result;
17}
18
19int main() {
20 std::vector<int> candies = {2, 3, 5, 1, 4};
21 int extraCandies = 3;
22 // Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
23 std::vector<bool> result = kidsWithGreatestCandies(candies, extraCandies);
24
25 std::cout << "Output: ";
26 for (bool r : result) {
27 std::cout << (r ? "True " : "False ");
28 }
29 std::cout << std::endl;
30
31 return 0;
32}Explanation:
- Max Candies: We use the max_element() function to find the maximum candies.
- Check Each Kid: Add the extra candies and see if the kid’s total is greater than or equal to the maximum.
- Store Results: We store the results in a vector.
Method 2: Optimal approach
This method is efficient and gets the job done quickly.
Python code:
1def kids_with_greatest_candies(candies, extra_candies):
2 # Find the maximum number of candies
3 max_candies = max(candies)
4
5 # List comprehension for efficient processing
6 return [candy + extra_candies >= max_candies for candy in candies]
7
8# Sample input
9candies = [2, 3, 5, 1, 4]
10extra_candies = 3
11# Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
12print("Output:", kids_with_greatest_candies(candies, extra_candies))Explanation:
- List Comprehension: This method uses list comprehension for a quick and clean solution.
Java code:
1import java.util.ArrayList;
2import java.util.List;
3
4public class KidsWithGreatestCandies {
5 public static List<Boolean> kidsWithGreatestCandies(int[] candies, int extraCandies) {
6 // Find the maximum number of candies
7 int maxCandies = Integer.MIN_VALUE;
8 for (int candy : candies) {
9 if (candy > maxCandies) {
10 maxCandies = candy;
11 }
12 }
13
14 // Efficient list processing
15 List<Boolean> result = new ArrayList<>();
16
17 // Check each kid's candies
18 for (int candy : candies) {
19 result.add(candy + extraCandies >= maxCandies);
20 }
21
22 return result;
23 }
24
25 public static void main(String[] args) {
26 int[] candies = {2, 3, 5, 1, 4};
27 int extraCandies = 3;
28 // Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
29 System.out.println("Output: " + kidsWithGreatestCandies(candies, extraCandies));
30 }
31}Explanation:
- Efficient Looping: The code processes efficiently, focusing on simplicity and speed.
C++ code:
1#include <iostream>
2#include <vector>
3#include <algorithm>
4
5std::vector<bool> kidsWithGreatestCandies(std::vector<int>& candies, int extraCandies) {
6 // Find the maximum number of candies
7 int maxCandies = *max_element(candies.begin(), candies.end());
8
9 // Efficient vector processing
10 std::vector<bool> result;
11 for (int candy : candies) {
12 result.push_back(candy + extraCandies >= maxCandies);
13 }
14
15 return result;
16}
17
18int main() {
19 std::vector<int> candies = {2, 3, 5, 1, 4};
20 int extraCandies = 3;
21 // Expected output: [True, True, True, False, True]
22 std::vector<bool> result = kidsWithGreatestCandies(candies, extraCandies);
23
24 std::cout << "Output: ";
25 for (bool r : result) {
26 std::cout << (r ? "True " : "False ");
27 }
28 std::cout << std::endl;
29
30 return 0;
31}Explanation:
- Efficient Processing: The code uses a single loop for quick and clean results.
Conclusion
Solving the problem of who has the most candies is not just about having fun; it’s about learning to think logically. Whether you use the brute force method or the optimal approach, you’re developing skills that will help you in solving more complex problems.
Think of it as building your own "candies" of knowledge. Just like Elon Musk, who added a bit more to his skills every day, you too can build your coding abilities one step at a time. Keep practicing, keep learning, and soon, you’ll be solving even bigger challenges with ease.
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