LeetCode 3096: Minimum Levels to Gain More Points Solution

Master LeetCode problem 3096 (Minimum Levels to Gain More Points), a medium challenge, with our optimized solutions in Java, C++, and Python. Explore detailed explanations, test your code in our interactive editor, and prepare for coding interviews.

3096. Minimum Levels to Gain More Points

Medium

Array Prefix Sum

Problem Explanation

Explanation

To solve this problem, we need to find the minimum number of levels Alice should play to gain more points than Bob. The key observation here is that Alice and Bob take turns playing levels, and Alice starts first. We can simulate the game by considering all possible combinations of levels played by Alice and Bob. At each step, we calculate the points for Alice and Bob and check if Alice has more points than Bob.

We can optimize the solution by realizing that if Alice plays up to a certain level, Bob will play the remaining levels. We can calculate the total points for Alice and Bob at each step and determine the minimum number of levels Alice needs to play to gain more points.

The algorithmic idea is to iterate through all levels, calculating Alice's points up to that level and Bob's points for the remaining levels. We keep track of the minimum number of levels Alice needs to play to gain more points. If no such number of levels exists, we return -1.

Time complexity: O(n) where n is the number of levels
Space complexity: O(1)

Solution Code

class Solution {
    public int minLevelsToGainMorePoints(int[] possible) {
        int n = possible.length;
        int alicePoints = 0;
        int bobPoints = 0;
        int minLevels = Integer.MAX_VALUE;

        for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
            alicePoints += possible[i];
            bobPoints += possible[i + 1];
            if (alicePoints > bobPoints) {
                minLevels = Math.min(minLevels, i + 1);
            }
        }

        return minLevels == Integer.MAX_VALUE ? -1 : minLevels;
    }
}

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