Rod Cutting
Detailed guide and Python implementation for the 'Rod Cutting' problem.
1. Concept Overview
The 'Rod Cutting' problem is a key challenge in the Dynamic Programming 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 Rod Cutting.
4. Prerequisites
5. Step-by-Step Thinking
1. Understand the problem
Read the problem statement for Rod Cutting 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
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.
- •1 <= n <= 1000
- •len(price) >= n
- •1 <= price[i] <= 10000
Examples
cut_rod([1, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 17, 20], 8)
22
Cut the rod of length 8 into two pieces of length 2 and 6. The total value is 5 + 17 = 22.
cut_rod([3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 17, 17, 20], 8)
24
Cut the rod of length 8 into eight pieces of length 1. The total value is 8 * 3 = 24.
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 cut_rod_opt(price, n):
val = [0] * (n + 1)
for i in range(1, n + 1):
max_v = -1
for j in range(i):
max_v = max(max_v, price[j] + val[i - j - 1])
val[i] = max_v
return val[n]Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
Brute Force Code (Spoiler Guarded)
def cut_rod_brute(price, n):
if n <= 0: return 0
max_val = -1
for i in range(n):
max_val = max(max_val, price[i] + cut_rod_brute(price, n - i - 1))
return max_valAlgorithm Pattern Checklist
When dealing with Dynamic Programming data patterns.
Core Prerequisites
Revision Key Notes
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
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