How do you solve Furthest Point From Origin on LeetCode?

Furthest Point From Origin (LeetCode #2833) can be solved using Brute Force or Optimal Solution. The optimal approach is Optimal Solution with O(n) time complexity and O(1) space complexity. Key insight: Replacing '_' with the most frequent character maximizes distance.

What is the brute force solution for Furthest Point From Origin?

The brute force approach for Furthest Point From Origin is Brute Force, with O(n²) time complexity and O(2^n) space complexity. In this approach, we will explore all possible combinations of movements by treating each '_' as either 'L' or 'R'. We will calculate the distance from the origin for each combination and keep track of the maximum distance found. The optimal Optimal Solution approach improves this to O(n).

What algorithm or data structure is used to solve Furthest Point From Origin?

Furthest Point From Origin uses the following concepts: String, Counting. The recommended patterns to study are: Counting, Greedy.

What are the interview tips for Furthest Point From Origin?

Always think about the simplest solution first. Look for patterns in the problem that can simplify your approach. Practice explaining your thought process clearly and concisely.

What are common mistakes when solving Furthest Point From Origin?

Overcomplicating the problem by trying to generate all combinations. Not considering the impact of '_' on the final distance.

#2833

Furthest Point From Origin

Easy

StringCountingCountingGreedy

LeetCode ↗

Approaches

Brute ForceOptimal

Complexity Comparison

	Brute Force	Optimal Solution★
Time	O(n²)	O(n)
Space	O(2^n)	O(1)

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Intuition

Time O(n)Space O(1)

Instead of generating all combinations, we can directly calculate the furthest distance by counting the occurrences of 'L', 'R', and '_' in the string. We replace all '_' with the character that occurs the most to maximize the distance.

⚙️

Algorithm

3 steps

1Step 1: Count the occurrences of 'L', 'R', and '_' in the string.
2Step 2: Determine the maximum distance by replacing all '_' with the character that occurs the most.
3Step 3: Calculate the final distance from the origin.

solution.py6 lines

1def furthestDistance(moves):
2    count_L = moves.count('L')
3    count_R = moves.count('R')
4    count_Underscore = moves.count('_')
5    max_distance = abs(count_L - (count_R + count_Underscore))
6    return max_distance

ℹ

Complexity note: The time complexity is O(n) because we traverse the string once to count the characters. The space complexity is O(1) since we only use a fixed amount of extra space for counters.

1Replacing '_' with the most frequent character maximizes distance.
2Count-based approach is more efficient than generating combinations.

Solutions and explanations are original Tejav content. Problem titles © LeetCode — use the LeetCode button above for the full problem statement.