Ugly Number Ii

To solve this coding challenge, you need to compute the nth ugly number, where ugly numbers are defined as positive integers that can only be factored by 2, 3, and 5. The problem requires generating these numbers in sequence until you find the nth one. This can be efficiently managed using a dynamic programming-like approach by maintaining an array of ugly numbers. Here is a detailed explanation of the approach:

Explanation

  1. Initialization : Initialize a list with the first ugly number, which is 1 by definition.
  2. Three Pointers : Use three pointers to keep track of the multiples of 2, 3, and 5. Let's call these pointers
    i2
    ,
    i3
    , and
    i5
    .
  3. **Next Ugly Number Calculation**: Use the pointers to calculate the next candidate for the ugly number by taking the minimum of the current ugly number multiples (i.e.,
    ugly[i2] * 2
    ,
    ugly[i3] * 3
    ,
    ugly[i5] * 5
    ).
  4. Appending the Next Ugly Number : Append this minimum value to the ugly number list.
  5. Pointer Update : Update the appropriate pointer(s) whenever their corresponding value is used to ensure that the next candidate will come from the next multiple.
  6. Repeat : Repeat steps 3 to 5 until you have generated the nth ugly number.
  7. Return the Result : Finally, return the nth ugly number from the list.
  8. Detailed Steps in Pseudocode

                                                
    # Function to find the nth ugly number
    FUNCTION findNthUglyNumber(n):
    # Initialize an array to store ugly numbers
    uglyNumbers = [1]
    
    # Initialize pointers for multiples of 2, 3, and 5
    pointer2 = 0
    pointer3 = 0
    pointer5 = 0
    
    # Continue generating ugly numbers until we have the nth one
    WHILE (length of uglyNumbers < n):
    # Calculate next candidates for ugly numbers
    nextMultipleOf2 = uglyNumbers[pointer2] * 2
    nextMultipleOf3 = uglyNumbers[pointer3] * 3
    nextMultipleOf5 = uglyNumbers[pointer5] * 5
    
    # Find the minimum of these candidates to be the next ugly number
    nextUglyNumber = MIN(nextMultipleOf2, nextMultipleOf3, nextMultipleOf5)
    
    # Append this minimum value to the uglyNumbers list
    APPEND nextUglyNumber TO uglyNumbers
    
    # Update the respective pointer(s)
    IF nextUglyNumber == nextMultipleOf2:
    pointer2 = pointer2 + 1
    
    IF nextUglyNumber == nextMultipleOf3:
    pointer3 = pointer3 + 1
    
    IF nextUglyNumber == nextMultipleOf5:
    pointer5 = pointer5 + 1
    
    # End WHILE loop
    
    # The nth ugly number will be the last element in uglyNumbers list
    RETURN uglyNumbers[n-1]
    END FUNCTION
    
                                            

    In-depth Explanation of Pseudocode

  9. Initialize Array and Pointers :
    • uglyNumbers
      is initialized with the first ugly number
      [1]
      .
    • Pointers
      pointer2
      ,
      pointer3
      , and
      pointer5
      are initialized to
      0
      , pointing to the first index of
      uglyNumbers
      .
  10. Loop Until nth Ugly Number is Found :
    • Conversely, the loop runs until the number of ugly numbers generated equals
      n
      .
  11. Calculate Next Multiples :
    • nextMultipleOf2
      ,
      nextMultipleOf3
      , and
      nextMultipleOf5
      are calculated by multiplying the current pointed values in the list by 2, 3, and 5 respectively.
  12. Find Minimum Value :
    • nextUglyNumber
      is determined as the smallest value among
      nextMultipleOf2
      ,
      nextMultipleOf3
      , and
      nextMultipleOf5
      .
  13. Append to List :
    • This
      nextUglyNumber
      is added to the
      uglyNumbers
      list.
  14. Update Pointers :
    • Depending on which multiple was chosen as
      nextUglyNumber
      , the respective pointer (or pointers, in the case of duplicates) is incremented to the next index.
  15. Return nth Ugly Number :
    • Once the loop completes, the nth ugly number will be at index
      n-1
      in the 0-indexed list.
This method ensures efficient calculation of the nth ugly number using a dynamic programming approach while maintaining clarity and simplicity in the algorithm.