LeetCode 1974: Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter Solution

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1974. Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter

Problem Explanation

Explanation

To solve this problem, we need to simulate the typing process on the special typewriter. We will keep track of the current position of the pointer and calculate the minimum time required to type each character in the given word. The minimum time is the minimum number of steps needed to move the pointer to the desired character, either clockwise or counterclockwise.

We can achieve this by calculating the minimum distance to reach the next character in the word from the current pointer position. The distance can be calculated in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions, and the minimum of these two distances will be the time required to type the character.

Finally, we sum up the time required to type each character in the word to get the total minimum time required to type the entire word.

  • Time complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the input word.
  • Space complexity: O(1)

Solution Code

class Solution {
    public int minTimeToType(String word) {
        int time = 0;
        char cur = 'a';
        for (char c : word.toCharArray()) {
            int dist = Math.abs(c - cur);
            time += Math.min(dist, 26 - dist);
            cur = c;
        }
        return time + word.length();
    }
}

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