Contains Duplicate Ii
To solve this coding challenge effectively, you need to determine if there are two distinct indices \(i\) and \(j\) in an array such that the values at these indices are equal and the absolute difference between \(i\) and \(j\) is at most \(k\). The challenge requires creating an efficient solution that can handle arrays of length up to \(10^5\) and values within a large range. Below are the steps and pseudocode to approach this challenge:
if no valid pairs have been found.
By following these detailed steps and pseudocode, you can efficiently solve the problem within the constraints provided, ensuring that your solution is both clear and optimized for performance.
Explanation
- Define the Problem: We need to check for a pair of indices \(i\) and \(j\) such that \( \text{nums}[i] = \text{nums}[j] \) and \( |i - j| \leq k \).
- Hash Map Utilization: Utilize a hash map (dictionary) to store the last occurrence of each element in the array. This will allow quick lookups and efficient updates.
- Iterate through Array: As we iterate through the array, check if the current element exists in the dictionary. If it does, check if the difference between the current index and the stored index for that element is less than or equal to \(k\).
- Update Dictionary: Whether we find a valid pair or not, update the dictionary to set the current index as the last seen index for the current element.
- Return Result: If a valid pair is found during the iteration, return true. If the iteration completes without finding a valid pair, return false.
- Initialization:
- Iteration Through Array:
- Return Result:
- Initialize the dictionary:
- Iterate through the array with both index and value:
- Check if the element exists in the dictionary:
- Calculate the index difference and check condition:
- Update the dictionary:
- Return false if no pairs are found after completing the iteration:
Step-by-Step Explanation
Step-by-Step Explanation of the Pseudocode:
-
* Initialize an empty dictionary to store the last seen index of each element.
-
* For each element in the array, along with its index, check if the element is already present in the dictionary.
* If the element is present, verify if the difference between the current index and the stored index is less than or equal to \( k \).
* If the difference condition is satisfied, return true.
* Update the dictionary with the current index for the current element.
-
* If the loop completes without finding any valid pairs, return false.
Detailed Pseudocode:
Note: Make sure to include explanatory comments in the pseudocode.
# Function to determine if there are nearby duplicates in the array
function containsNearbyDuplicate(nums, k):
# Initialize an empty dictionary to store the last seen index of each number
last_seen_indices = {}
# Iterate through the array with index and value
for index, value in enumerate(nums):
# Check if the current number already exists in the dictionary
if value in last_seen_indices:
# Calculate the index difference between the current index and the last seen index
index_difference = index - last_seen_indices[value]
# Check if the index difference is less than or equal to k
if index_difference <= k:
return true # Return true if the condition is satisfied
# Update the dictionary to store the current index for the current number
last_seen_indices[value] = index
# Return false if no such pair is found after iterating through the entire array
return false
Detailed Steps in Pseudocode:
last_seen_indices = {}
-
* This dictionary will store the last index at which each element was found.
for index, value in enumerate(nums):
-
*
enumerate
if value in last_seen_indices:
-
* If the element is found in the dictionary, proceed to calculate the difference between indices.
index_difference = index - last_seen_indices[value]
if index_difference <= k:
return true
-
* If the difference is within
k
true
last_seen_indices[value] = index
-
* Update or add the current index for the element in the dictionary.
return false
* This line concludes the function and returns
false