Solution: Most Stones Removed with Same Row or Column
Explore how to solve the problem of removing the maximum number of stones from a 2D plane by grouping stones sharing rows or columns. Understand the union find data structure to merge stones into connected components, efficiently calculate distinct groups, and determine the solution with optimal time complexity.
Statement
Given an array of stones in a two-dimensional plane, where each stone is represented by a pair of x and y coordinates, find the maximum number of stones we can remove with the following condition:
A stone can be removed if it shares either the same row or the same column with another stone that has not been removed so far.
Stones are provided as an array, stones, of length , where ...