Solution: Kth Smallest Number in M Sorted Lists
Understand how to efficiently find the kth smallest element across multiple sorted lists using a k-way merge algorithm. This lesson guides you through heap-based methods to merge sorted data, handle duplicates, and optimize the process while analyzing time and space complexity.
Statement
Given a list, lists, containing k, find the
Even if some values appear multiple times across the lists, each occurrence is treated as a unique element when determining the
If k exceeds the total number of elements across all lists, return the largest element among them. If the lists are empty, return 0.
Constraints:
-
lists[i].length -
lists[i][j]