Maximum Population Year

Problem

You are given a 2D integer array logs where each logs[i] = [birthi, deathi] indicates the birth and death years of the ith person.

The population of some year x is the number of people alive during that year. The ith person is counted in year x’s population if x is in the inclusive range [birthi, deathi - 1]. Note that the person is not counted in the year that they die.

Return the earliest year with the maximum population.

Example 1:

Input: logs = [[1993,1999],[2000,2010]]
Output: 1993
Explanation: The maximum population is 1, and 1993 is the earliest year with this population.

Example 2:

Input: logs = [[1950,1961],[1960,1971],[1970,1981]]
Output: 1960
Explanation:
The maximum population is 2, and it had happened in years 1960 and 1970.
The earlier year between them is 1960.

Constraints:

  • 1 <= logs.length <= 100
  • 1950 <= birthi < deathi <= 2050

Solution

Using a fixed-size array

Time: o(n) Space: O(1)

class Solution {
    public int maximumPopulation(int[][] logs) {
        var yrs = new int[2050 - 1950 + 1];
        for (var l : logs) {
            yrs[l[0] - 1950] += 1;
            yrs[l[1] - 1950] -= 1;
        }

        var maxIdx = 0;
        var maxPop = 0;
        var pop = 0;
        for (var i = 0; i < yrs.length; i++) {
            var newPop = pop + yrs[i];
            if (newPop > pop && newPop > maxPop) {
                maxIdx = i;
                maxPop = newPop;
            }
            pop = newPop;
        }
        return maxIdx + 1950;
    }
}

Using a TreeMap

Time: O(log(n)) Space: O(n)

class Solution {
    public int maximumPopulation(int[][] logs) {
        var yrs = new TreeMap<Integer, Integer>();
        for (var l : logs) {
            yrs.merge(l[0], 1, Integer::sum);
            yrs.merge(l[1], -1, Integer::sum);
        }

        var maxYr = 0;
        var maxPop = 0;
        var pop = 0;
        for (var yr : yrs.entrySet()) {
            var newPop = pop + yr.getValue();
            if (newPop > pop && newPop > maxPop) {
                maxYr = yr.getKey();
                maxPop = newPop;
            }
            pop = newPop;
        }
        return maxYr;
    }
}

Recent posts from blogs that I like

An Introduction to Google’s Approach to AI Agent Security

via Simon Willison

Notes on Cramer's rule

Cramer's rule is a clever solution to the classical system of linear equations Ax=b: \[\begin{bmatrix} a_{11} & a_{12} & a_{13} \\ a_{21} & a_{22} & a_{23} \\ a_{31} & a_{32} & a_{33} \\ \end{bmatrix} \begin{bmatrix}x_1 \\ x_2 \\ x_3\end{bmatrix} = \begin{bmatrix}b_1 \\ b_2 \\ b_3\end{bmatrix}\] Usi...

via Eli Bendersky

Brandjes: Paintings as witnesses to fires 1640-1813

Dramatic paintings of towns and cities on fire, usually at night, were popular during the Dutch Golden Age, and known as brandjes. Examples to well into the 19th century.

via The Eclectic Light Company