Missing Number
Explore how to solve the missing number problem in an array of distinct numbers using cyclic sort. Understand the problem constraints and implement your solution efficiently. This lesson helps you apply a key coding pattern for technical interviews.
We'll cover the following...
Statement
Given an array, nums, containing distinct numbers in the range , return the only number in the range that is missing from the array.
Constraints:
-
nums.length -
nums[i] - There are no duplicates in the array.
Examples
Understand the problem
Let’s take a moment to make sure you’ve correctly understood the problem. The quiz below helps you check if you’re solving the correct problem:
Missing Number
What would be the output if the following array is given as input?
[0, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 3, 9, 5, 10]
11
2
1
3
Figure it out!
We have a game for you to play. Rearrange the logical building blocks to develop a clearer understanding of how to solve this problem.
Try it yourself
Implement your solution in main.py in the following coding playground. The supporting code template provided in traversal.py is meant to assist in developing your solution to the problem.
from traversal import *def find_missing_number(nums):# Your code will replace this placeholder return statementreturn -1