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Longest Increasing Subsequence

Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Longest Increasing Subsequence' problem.

Problem Statement

Medium

Given an integer array nums, return the length of the longest strictly increasing subsequence.

Write a function lengthOfLIS(nums: List[int]) -> int.

Constraints
  • 1 <= len(nums) <= 2500
  • -10^4 <= nums[i] <= 10^4

Examples

Example 1
Input
nums = [10,9,2,5,3,7,101,18]
Output
4
Explanation

The longest increasing subsequence is [2,3,7,101], therefore the length is 4.

Example 2
Input
nums = [0,1,0,3,2,3]
Output
4
Explanation

The longest increasing subsequence is [0,1,2,3], length is 4.

Example 3
Input
nums = [7,7,7,7,7,7,7]
Output
1
Explanation

The longest increasing subsequence is [7], length is 1.

Need a Hint?
Consider using 1D DP-specific data structures like sets or heaps.
Edge Cases to Watch
  • Empty input structures
  • Single element inputs
  • Large numerical bounds

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