Last Stone Weight
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Last Stone Weight' problem.
Problem Statement
You are given an array of integers stones where stones[i] is the weight of the ith stone.
We are playing a game with the stones. On each turn, we choose the heaviest two stones and smash them together. Suppose the heaviest two stones have weights x and y with x <= y. The result of this smash is:
- If x == y, both stones are destroyed,
- If x != y, the stone of weight x is destroyed, and the stone of weight y has new weight y - x.
At the end of the game, there is at most one stone left.
Return the weight of the last remaining stone. If no stones are left, return 0.
Write a function lastStoneWeight(stones: List[int]) -> int.
- •1 <= len(stones) <= 30
- •1 <= stones[i] <= 1000
Examples
stones = [2,7,4,1,8,1]
1
Smash 7 and 8 to get 1, array becomes [2,4,1,1,1]. Smash 2 and 4 to get 2, array becomes [2,1,1,1]. Smash 2 and 1 to get 1, array becomes [1,1,1]. Smash 1 and 1 to get 0, array becomes [1]. The last remaining stone is 1.
stones = [1]
1
Only one stone, so weight is 1.
Need a Hint?
Edge Cases to Watch
- Empty input structures
- Single element inputs
- Large numerical bounds
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