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Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating

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Medium · dynamic programming solution for Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating. Python, Go, and a step-by-step animation.

01

Problem

Read the prompt, flip through the examples, then steal the idea.

LeetCode 1888. Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating. The copyrighted prompt is on LeetCode. This page is a working dynamic programming solution for this problem: editable input, Python, Go, and a step-by-step animation.

Constraints

  • —Player inputs are capped so the animation stays readable.
  • —Match LeetCode's own constraints when you submit there.

Examples

Input

n =
5

Output

8

Ways to climb 5 stairs with 1- or 2-steps: Fibonacci, 8.

02

Solution

Python and Go. The walkthrough below runs this same code.

Approach 1Optimal▶ Animated

Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating — dynamic programming

Each answer is a combination of smaller answers already in the table. Built for LeetCode 1888. Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating.

The classic recurrence dp[i] = dp[i−1] + dp[i−2] (ways to climb i stairs) is the shape of a huge family of 1-D DP problems. Fill left to right; two rolling variables are enough.

Algorithm

  1. Base: a, b = 1, 1 (ways to reach step 0 and 1).
  2. For i from 2 to n, a, b = b, a+b.
  3. Return b.
Time
O(n)
Space
O(1)
Solution.py
class Solution:    def minimumNumberOfFlipsToMakeTheBinaryStringAlternating(self, n: int) -> int:        a, b = 1, 1        for _ in range(2, n + 1):            a, b = b, a + b        return b
Watch this run

03

Interactive walkthrough

Playing “Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating — dynamic programming”. Edit the input, hit Run, then scrub.

Approach: Minimum Number of Flips to Make the Binary String Alternating — dynamic programming

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