Python Codility Frog River One time complexity - algorithm

Question

So this is another approach to probably well-known codility platform, task about frog crossing the river. And sorry if this question is asked in bad manner, this is my first post here.
The goal is to find the earliest time when the frog can jump to the other side of the river.
For example, given X = 5 and array A such that:
A[0] = 1
A[1] = 3
A[2] = 1
A[3] = 4
A[4] = 2
A[5] = 3
A[6] = 5
A[7] = 4
the function should return 6.
Example test: (5, [1, 3, 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 4])
Full task content:
https://app.codility.com/programmers/lessons/4-counting_elements/frog_river_one/
So that was my first obvious approach:
def solution(X, A):
lista = list(range(1, X + 1))
if X < 1 or len(A) < 1:
return -1
found = -1
for element in lista:
if element in A:
if A.index(element) > found:
found = A.index(element)
else: return -1
return found
X = 5
A = [1,2,4,5,3]
solution(X,A)
This solution is 100% correct and gets 0% in performance tests.
So I thought less lines + list comprehension will get better score:
def solution(X, A):
if X < 1 or len(A) < 1:
return -1
try:
found = max([ A.index(element) for element in range(1, X + 1) ])
except ValueError:
return -1
return found
X = 5
A = [1,2,4,5,3]
solution(X,A)
This one also works and has 0% performance but it's faster anyway.
I also found solution by deanalvero (https://github.com/deanalvero/codility/blob/master/python/lesson02/FrogRiverOne.py):
def solution(X, A):
# write your code in Python 2.6
frog, leaves = 0, [False] * (X)
for minute, leaf in enumerate(A):
if leaf <= X:
leaves[leaf - 1] = True
while leaves[frog]:
frog += 1
if frog == X: return minute
return -1
This solution gets 100% in correctness and performance tests.
My question arises probably because I don't quite understand this time complexity thing. Please tell me how the last solution is better from my second solution? It has a while loop inside for loop! It should be slow but it's not.

Answer 1

Here is a solution in which you would get 100% in both correctness and performance.
def solution(X, A):
i = 0
dict_temp = {}
while i < len(A):
dict_temp[A[i]] = i
if len(dict_temp) == X:
return i
i += 1
return -1

Answer 2

The answer already been told, but I'll add an optional solution that i think might help you understand:
def save_frog(x, arr):
# creating the steps the frog should make
steps = set([i for i in range(1, x + 1)])
# creating the steps the frog already did
froggy_steps = set()
for index, leaf in enumerate(arr):
froggy_steps.add(leaf)
if froggy_steps == steps:
return index
return -1

Answer 3

I think I got the best performance using set()
take a look at the performance test runtime seconds and compare them with yours
def solution(X, A):
positions = set()
seconds = 0
for i in range(0, len(A)):
if A[i] not in positions and A[i] <= X:
positions.add(A[i])
seconds = i
if len(positions) == X:
return seconds
return -1

Answer 4

The amount of nested loops doesn't directly tell you anything about the time complexity. Let n be the length of the input array. The inside of the while-loop needs in average O(1) time, although its worst case time complexity is O(n). The fast solution uses a boolean array leaves where at every index it has the value true if there is a leaf and false otherwise. The inside of the while-loop during the entire algotihm is excetuded no more than n times. The outer for-loop is also executed only n times. This means the time complexity of the algorithm is O(n).

Answer 5

The key is that both of your initial solutions are quadratic. They involve O(n) inner scans for each of the parent elements (resulting in O(n**2)).
The fast solution initially appears to suffer the same fate as it's obvious it contains a loop within a loop. But the inner while loop does not get fully scanned for each 'leaf'. Take a look at where 'frog' gets initialized and you'll note that the while loop effectively picks up where it left off for each leaf.

Answer 6

Here is my 100% solution that considers the sum of numeric progression.
def solution(X, A):
covered = [False] * (X+1)
n = len(A)
Sx = ((1+X)*X)/2 # sum of the numeric progression
for i in range(n):
if(not covered[A[i]]):
Sx -= A[i]
covered[A[i]] = True
if (Sx==0):
return i
return -1

Answer 7

Optimized solution from #sphoenix, no need to compare two sets, it's not really good.
def solution(X, A):
found = set()
for pos, i in enumerate(A, 0):
if i <= X:
found.add(i)
if len(found) == X:
return pos
return -1
And one more optimized solution for binary array
def solution(X, A):
steps, leaves = X, [False] * X
for minute, leaf in enumerate(A, 0):
if not leaves[leaf - 1]:
leaves[leaf - 1] = True
steps -= 1
if 0 == steps:
return minute
return -1
The last one is better, less resources. set consumes more resources compared to binary list (memory and CPU).

Answer 8

def solution(X, A):
# if there are not enough items in the list
if X > len(A):
return -1
# else check all items
else:
d = {}
for i, leaf in enumerate(A):
d[leaf] = i
if len(d) == X:
return i
# if all else fails
return -1

Answer 9

I tried to use as much simple instruction as possible.
def solution(X, A):
if (X > len(A)): # check for no answer simple
return -1
elif(X == 1): # check for single element
return 0
else:
std_set = {i for i in range(1,X+1)} # list of standard order
this_set = set(A) # set of unique element in list
if(sum(std_set) > sum(this_set)): # check for no answer complex
return -1
else:
for i in range(0, len(A) - 1):
if std_set:
if(A[i] in std_set):
std_set.remove(A[i]) # remove each element in standard set
if not std_set: # if all removed, return last filled position
return(i)
I guess this code might not fulfill runtime but it the simplest I could think of

Answer 10

I am using OrderedDict from collections and sum of first n numbers to check the frog will be able to cross or not.
def solution(X, A):
from collections import OrderedDict as od
if sum(set(A))!=(X*(X+1))//2:
return -1
k=list(od.fromkeys(A).keys())[-1]
for x,y in enumerate(A):
if y==k:
return x

Answer 11

This code gives 100% for correctness and performance, runs in O(N)
def solution(x, a):
# write your code in Python 3.6
# initialize all positions to zero
# i.e. if x = 2; x + 1 = 3
# x_positions = [0,1,2]
x_positions = [0] * (x + 1)
min_time = -1
for k in range(len(a)):
# since we are looking for min time, ensure that you only
# count the positions that matter
if a[k] <= x and x_positions[a[k]] == 0:
x_positions[a[k]] += 1
min_time = k
# ensure that all positions are available for the frog to jump
if sum(x_positions) == x:
return min_time
return -1

Answer 12

100% performance using sets
def solution(X, A):
positions = set()
for i in range(len(A)):
if A[i] not in positions:
positions.add(A[i])
if len(positions) == X:
return i
return -1