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Solution: The Number of the Smallest Unoccupied Chair

Explore how to assign chairs dynamically at a party using two min heaps for efficient processing of arrivals and departures. Understand how sorting and priority queues optimize the retrieval of the smallest available chair, enabling you to solve this problem with an O(n log n) time complexity. This lesson develops your ability to implement heap-based solutions for real-time resource management issues in coding interviews.

Statement

At a party, nn friends, numbered from 00 to n1n - 1, arrive and leave at different times. There are infinitely many chairs, numbered 00 onwards. Each arriving friend sits on the smallest available chair at that moment.

For example, ...