Competitive ProgrammingEasy

Rod Cutting

Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Rod Cutting' problem.

Problem Statement

Easy

Write a function cut_rod(price, n) that takes a list of prices price where price[i] is the price of a rod of length i+1, and a total length n. Return the maximum value obtainable by cutting up the rod of length n and selling the pieces.

Constraints
  • 1 <= n <= 1000
  • len(price) >= n
  • 1 <= price[i] <= 10000

Examples

Example 1
Input
cut_rod([1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 17, 20], 8)
Output
22
Explanation

Cut the rod of length 8 into two pieces of length 2 and 6. The total value is 5 + 17 = 22.

Example 2
Input
cut_rod([3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 17, 20], 8)
Output
24
Explanation

Cut the rod of length 8 into eight pieces of length 1. The total value is 8 * 3 = 24.

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

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