Single Number

Problem

Given a non-empty array of integers nums, every element appears twice except for one. Find that single one.

You must implement a solution with a linear runtime complexity and use only constant extra space.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [2,2,1]
Output: 1
Example 2:

Input: nums = [4,1,2,1,2]
Output: 4
Example 3:

Input: nums = [1]
Output: 1

Constraints:

  • 1 <= nums.length <= 3 * 10^4
  • -3 10^4 <= nums[i] <= 3 10^4
  • Each element in the array appears twice except for one element which appears only once.

Solution

Relies on that xor trick. Related.

class Solution {
    public int singleNumber(int[] nums) {
        var counter = 0;
        for (var n : nums) {
            counter ^= n;
        }
        return counter;
    }
}

Recent posts from blogs that I like

An American in Paris: paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner 1880-1902

An African-American painter who achieved international acclaim with his early Impressionist landscapes, genre paintings, and innovative religious works.

via The Eclectic Light Company

Saying the obvious thing

Stating the obvious is surprisingly useful. Most of your knowledge lives below the threshold of conscious awareness, so it’s possible for a piece of writing to remind you of what you already know. It’s common to know you don’t like something without being quite sure why, and reading an obvious state...

via Sean Goedecke

Escaping Flatland meetups summer 2026: times and places

There has been a flurry of activity in the chat over the last two months, and we now have meetups arranged in 47 cities in 22 countries!

via Henrik Karlsson