Gas Station
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Gas Station' problem.
1. Concept Overview
The 'Gas Station' problem is a key challenge in the Greedy 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 Gas Station.
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Thinking
1. Understand the problem
Read the problem statement for Gas Station 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 gas stations along a circular route, where the amount of gas at the ith station is gas[i]. You have a car with an unlimited gas tank and it costs cost[i] of gas to travel from the ith station to its next (i + 1)th station. You begin the journey with an empty tank at one of the gas stations. Return the starting gas station's index if you can travel around the circuit once in the clockwise direction, otherwise return -1. If there exists a solution, it is guaranteed to be unique.
Write a function canCompleteCircuit(gas: List[int], cost: List[int]) -> int.
- •n == len(gas) == len(cost)
- •1 <= n <= 10^5
- •0 <= gas[i], cost[i] <= 10^4
Examples
gas = [1,2,3,4,5], cost = [3,4,5,1,2]
3
Start at station 3. tank = 4. Go to 4: cost 1, tank = 4-1+5 = 8. Go to 0: cost 2, tank = 8-2+1=7. Go to 1: cost 3, tank = 7-3+2=6. Go to 2: cost 4, tank = 6-4+3=5. Go to 3: cost 5, tank = 5-5=0. We reached back to station 3.
gas = [2,3,4], cost = [3,4,3]
-1
No station can complete the circuit.
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 can_complete_circuit_opt(gas, cost):
if sum(gas) < sum(cost): return -1
total, start = 0, 0
for i in range(len(gas)):
total += gas[i] - cost[i]
if total < 0: total = 0; start = i + 1
return startBrute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
def can_complete_circuit_brute(gas, cost):
n = len(gas)
for i in range(n):
total = 0; can = True
for j in range(n):
idx = (i + j) % n
total += gas[idx] - cost[idx]
if total < 0: can = False; break
if can: return i
return -1Algorithm Pattern Checklist
When dealing with Greedy data patterns.
Core Prerequisites
Revision Key Notes
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
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