Single Element in a Sorted Array
Explore how to efficiently find the unique element in a sorted array where all others appear twice. Learn to apply a modified binary search approach that operates in logarithmic time and constant space, sharpening your skills for coding interviews focused on search algorithms.
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Statement
You are given a sorted array of integers, nums, where all integers appear twice except for one. Your task is to find and return the single integer that appears only once.
The solution should have a time complexity of or better and a space complexity of .
Constraints:
-
nums.length -
nums[i]
Examples
Understand the problem
Let’s take a moment to make sure you’ve correctly understood the problem. The quiz below helps us to check if you’re solving the correct problem:
Single Element in a Sorted Array
What is the output if the following array is provided as input?
[1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4]
1
3
2
4
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. We have provided a useful code template in the other file that you may build on to solve this problem.
def single_non_duplicate(nums):# Replace this placeholder return statement with your codereturn -1