Skip to content
LEETFLIX

Smallest String Starting From Leaf

MediumStringBacktrackingTreeDFS
Solve on LeetCode

Medium · dynamic programming solution for Smallest String Starting From Leaf. Python, Go, and a step-by-step animation.

01

Problem

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

LeetCode 988. Smallest String Starting From Leaf. 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

Smallest String Starting From Leaf — dynamic programming

Each answer is a combination of smaller answers already in the table. Built for LeetCode 988. Smallest String Starting From Leaf.

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 smallestStringStartingFromLeaf(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 “Smallest String Starting From Leaf — dynamic programming”. Edit the input, hit Run, then scrub.

Approach: Smallest String Starting From Leaf — dynamic programming

Loading animation…