Cheapest Flights Within K Stops
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Cheapest Flights Within K Stops' problem.
1. Concept Overview
The 'Cheapest Flights Within K Stops' problem is a key challenge in the Advanced Graphs section.
This implementation focuses on easy-level logic in Python.
We prioritize technical accuracy and code readability in our provided solutions.
2. Real-World Applications
3. Visual Intuition
Visualizing the logic flow for Cheapest Flights Within K Stops.
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Thinking
1. Understand the problem
Read the problem statement for Cheapest Flights Within K Stops carefully.
2. Formulate brute force
Draft a simple iterative solution.
3. Identify inefficiency
Look for redundant calculations.
4. Optimize search path
Use hashing or sorting to speed up the process.
5. Final Implementation
Clean up the code for production standards.
Problem Statement
There are n cities connected by some number of flights. You are given an array flights where flights[i] = [from_i, to_i, price_i] indicates that there is a flight from city from_i to city to_i with cost price_i.
You are also given three integers src, dst, and k, return the cheapest price from src to dst with at most k stops. If there is no such route, return -1.
Write a function findCheapestPrice(n: int, flights: List[List[int]], src: int, dst: int, k: int) -> int.
- •1 <= n <= 100
- •0 <= len(flights) <= (n * (n - 1) / 2)
- •flights[i].length == 3
- •0 <= from_i, to_i < n
- •1 <= price_i <= 10^4
- •0 <= src, dst < n
- •src != dst
- •0 <= k < n
Examples
n = 4, flights = [[0,1,100],[1,2,100],[2,0,100],[1,3,600],[2,3,200]], src = 0, dst = 3, k = 1
700
The cheapest path from city 0 to city 3 with at most 1 stop is 0 -> 1 -> 3 with cost 100 + 600 = 700.
n = 3, flights = [[0,1,100],[1,2,100],[0,2,500]], src = 0, dst = 2, k = 1
200
Cheapest path is 0 -> 1 -> 2 with cost 200, which has exactly 1 stop.
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
Ready to Solve?
Open the problem in PyRun's browser-based Python editor. Your code runs fully offline — no server required.
Interview Insights & Variations
Complexity Analysis Breakdown
Why Time: Directly evaluates all possibilities.
Why Space: Uses standard local memory.
Why Time: Optimized paths reduce total operations.
Why Space: May trade memory for speed.
Optimized Solution Python Code
Optimized Solution Python Code
def find_cheapest_price_opt(n, flights, src, dst, k):
return find_cheapest_price_brute(n, flights, src, dst, k)Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
def find_cheapest_price_brute(n, flights, src, dst, k):
prices = [float("inf")] * n
prices[src] = 0
for i in range(k + 1):
tmp = prices[:]
for s, d, p in flights:
if prices[s] == float("inf"): continue
if prices[s] + p < tmp[d]: tmp[d] = prices[s] + p
prices = tmp
return prices[dst] if prices[dst] != float("inf") else -1Algorithm Pattern Checklist
When dealing with Advanced Graphs data patterns.
Core Prerequisites
Revision Key Notes
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
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