
Problem Statement
In this problem, we are presented with an integer array nums
and an integer k
. The task is to determine whether it's possible to split the array into k
non-empty subsets such that the sum of the elements in each subset is the same. The challenge is to ensure that all subsets meet the criteria of equal sums, and this must be verified for possible configurations to return the correct boolean result.
Examples
Example 1
Input:
nums = [4,3,2,3,5,2,1], k = 4
Output:
true
Explanation:
It is possible to divide it into 4 subsets (5), (1, 4), (2,3), (2,3) with equal sums.
Example 2
Input:
nums = [1,2,3,4], k = 3
Output:
false
Constraints
1 <= k <= nums.length <= 16
1 <= nums[i] <= 104
- The frequency of each element is in the range
[1, 4]
.
Approach and Intuition
The problem of dividing an array into subsets with equal sums is related to the partition problem, which is known for its computational complexity. Here’s a step-by-step intuition and general approach to solve this problem using the examples given:
Check Basic Feasibility:
- First, calculate the total sum of the array. If the total sum is not divisible by
k
, it’s immediately impossible to divide the array as required, so returnfalse
. - Additionally, check if
k
is greater than the length of the array; if so, again, it's impossible to form the subsets, returnfalse
.
- First, calculate the total sum of the array. If the total sum is not divisible by
Target Subset Sum:
- If the sum of all elements in the array is divisible by
k
, the target sum for each subset would be total sum divided byk
.
- If the sum of all elements in the array is divisible by
Using DFS or Backtracking:
- Given the constraints, a backtracking approach is feasible. This would involve trying to build subsets one element at a time, ensuring they sum to the target before moving to the next subset.
- Initialize a boolean or marker array to keep track of which elements have been included in any subset. Starting with the first element, attempt to form a subset that sums to the target. If forming one such subset is successful, recursively try to form the next subset with the remaining elements.
Efficiency Considerations:
- Given that the upper limit for the array length and
k
is 16, this backtracking approach is computationally manageable. However, the algorithm might still need optimizations like ordering elements in decreasing order to make it more efficient, as larger numbers filled first can reduce the complexity of subsequent decisions.
- Given that the upper limit for the array length and
Example Walkthrough:
- For the first example, an array of
[4,3,2,3,5,2,1]
andk = 4
, we notice the sums must each total 5. Thus, subsets (5), (1,4), (2,3), and (2,3) provide a valid division. - For the second example, the total sum of
[1,2,3,4]
is 10. As 10 cannot be evenly divided into 3 parts, it is not possible to split this array into subsets of equal sum, hence the output isfalse
.
- For the first example, an array of
By following the above approach of checking feasibility, understanding constraints, and applying backtracking or DFS, one can systematically determine if the array can be divided into subsets that meet the criteria.
Solutions
- C++
class Solution {
public:
bool canPartitionIntoKSubsets(vector<int>& nums, int k) {
int sumOfElements = 0;
int arrayLength = nums.size();
for (int i = 0; i < arrayLength; ++i) {
sumOfElements += nums[i];
}
if (sumOfElements % k != 0) {
return false;
}
int requiredSum = sumOfElements / k;
vector<int> subsetSums((1 << arrayLength), -1);
subsetSums[0] = 0;
for (int state = 0; state < (1 << arrayLength); state++) {
if (subsetSums[state] == -1) continue;
for (int j = 0; j < arrayLength; j++) {
if (!(state & (1 << j)) && subsetSums[state] + nums[j] <= requiredSum) {
subsetSums[state | (1 << j)] = (subsetSums[state] + nums[j]) % requiredSum;
}
}
if(subsetSums[(1 << arrayLength) - 1] == 0) {
return true;
}
}
return subsetSums[(1 << arrayLength) - 1] == 0;
}
};
The provided C++ solution is designed to determine if an array can be partitioned into k
subsets where the sum of each subset is equal. The method uses a bit manipulation strategy with dynamic programming to solve this challenge efficiently.
Solution Explanation:
The process starts by calculating the sum of all the elements in the array. If the sum is not divisible by k
, it immediately returns false
since it's not possible to divide the array into subsets of equal sum.
- Calculate the sum of all elements.
- Check if the total sum is divisible by
k
.
If the sum is divisible by k
, divide it by k
to find the target sum for each subset. The function then initializes a subsetSums
vector of size 2^arrayLength
(which represents all possible combinations of subsets) and sets all values to -1
except for the initial state subsetSums[0]
which is set to 0
.
- Initialize the
subsetSums
vector. - Set
subsetSums[0]
to 0, indicating that no elements leading to a sum of zero is initially true.
Using nested loops, the function iterates through each possible 'state' (each combination of elements in the array), and for each 'state', it attempts to add each array element not already included in the current combination. If adding an element keeps the subset sum less than or equal to the requiredSum
, it updates the respective subset sum in subsetSums
.
- For each state and for each element not included in the state, check if adding this element forms a valid subset.
- Update
subsetSums
dynamically to indicate which subset sums can be achieved.
In the end, the function checks if the last element in the subsetSums
array is zero, indicating whether it's possible to partition the array into k parts where each part has the required sum.
- Return
true
if the last element insubsetSums
is zero; otherwise,false
.
This technique leverages binary state representation to efficiently determine possible subsets and their sums, significantly reducing the number of combinations to verify compared to a naive approach.
- Java
class Solution {
public boolean canDivideIntoKSubsets(int[] nums, int k) {
int sum = 0;
int len = nums.length;
for (int i = 0; i < len; ++i) {
sum += nums[i];
}
if (sum % k != 0) return false;
int eachSubsetSum = sum / k;
int[] bucketSum = new int[(1 << len)];
for (int i = 0; i < (1 << len); ++i) {
bucketSum[i] = -1;
}
bucketSum[0] = 0;
for (int state = 0; state < (1 << len); state++) {
if (bucketSum[state] == -1) continue;
for (int j = 0; j < len; j++) {
if ((state & (1 << j)) == 0 && bucketSum[state] + nums[j] <= eachSubsetSum) {
bucketSum[state | (1 << j)] = (bucketSum[state] + nums[j]) % eachSubsetSum;
}
}
if (bucketSum[(1 << len) - 1] == 0) {
return true;
}
}
return bucketSum[(1 << len) - 1] == 0;
}
}
The Java solution involves determining if an array can be partitioned into k
subsets such that the sum of elements in each subset equals the total sum of the array divided by k
. Follow these concepts and steps:
Calculate the total sum of the elements in the array. If this total is not divisible by
k
, it's immediately impossible to partition the array as required, so return false.Calculate the target sum for each subset, which is the total sum divided by
k
.Use a dynamic programming approach where an array
bucketSum
keeps track of possible subset sums. The array size is determined by1 << len
(which represents all possible states of elements being included or excluded).Initialize
bucketSum[0]
to 0 because a subset with no elements has a sum of zero.Iterate over all possible states (combinations of including/excluding each element). For each state, check whether it's possible to add the current element to the subset without exceeding the target sum.
If the exact division is possible, tracking reaches
bucketSum[(1 << len) - 1] == 0
, indicating that the elements can be grouped into subsets that meet the target.
This algorithm efficiently explores all combinations of elements using bit manipulation and dynamic programming, ensuring that each subset can potentially match the required target sum.
- JavaScript
/**
* @param {number[]} nums
* @param {number} k
* @return {boolean}
*/
let partitionKEqualSumSubsets = function(nums, k) {
let sumNums = 0;
let length = nums.length;
for (let index = 0; index < length; ++index) {
sumNums += nums[index];
}
if (sumNums % k !== 0) {
return false;
}
let requiredSum = sumNums / k;
let sums = new Array((1 << length)).fill(-1);
sums[0] = 0;
for (let state = 0; state < (1 << length); state++) {
if (sums[state] === -1) {
continue;
}
for (let j = 0; j < length; j++) {
if ((state & (1 << j)) === 0 && sums[state] + nums[j] <= requiredSum) {
sums[state | (1 << j)] = (sums[state] + nums[j]) % requiredSum;
}
}
if (sums[(1 << length) - 1] === 0) {
return true;
}
}
return sums[(1 << length) - 1] === 0;
};
The JavaScript function partitionKEqualSumSubsets(nums, k)
determines whether it is possible to partition the array nums
into k
subsets such that each subset's sum equals the others.
First, calculate the total of all elements in the nums
array. If this total is not divisible by k
, the function returns false
, as equal partitioning is not possible.
If the total is divisible by k
, calculate the requiredSum
by dividing the total by k
. This requiredSum
is the target sum that each subset must meet.
To solve the problem, employ a dynamic programming approach using a bitmask to represent different subsets. Initialize an array sums
of length 1 << nums.length
(which uses bit shifting to calculate 2 to the power of the length of nums
). Set all elements of sums
to -1, except for the zeroth element, which you set to 0. This setup is used to track the cumulative sums of the subsets represented by various states of the bitmask.
Iterate over each possible state of the bitmask, and for each state, try adding each number in nums
that hasn't been included in the state yet. If including the number doesn't cause the subset's sum to exceed requiredSum
, update the new state in the sums
array.
If at any point, the complete bitmask state (which represents all numbers included in subsets) reaches a cumulative sum of 0 modulo requiredSum
, return true
.
The final return statement checks if the fully-completed bitmask state matches the required conditions, thereby determining if the partitioning is feasible or not. This approach ensures an optimal check across all possible combinations of subsets using bit manipulation and dynamic programming techniques.
- Python
class Solution:
def findKSubsets(self, nums: List[int], k: int) -> bool:
total_sum = sum(nums)
element_count = len(nums)
# Check if it's possible to evenly divide into k subsets
if total_sum % k != 0:
return False
desired_sum = total_sum // k
subset_sums = [-1] * (1 << element_count)
# Initial valid state: empty subset
subset_sums[0] = 0
for state in range(1 << element_count):
if subset_sums[state] == -1:
continue
for j in range(element_count):
# Check if j-th item can be added to the current state
if (state & (1 << j)) == 0 and subset_sums[state] + nums[j] <= desired_sum:
new_state = state | (1 << j)
subset_sums[new_state] = (subset_sums[state] + nums[j]) % desired_sum
if subset_sums[-1] == 0:
return True
return subset_sums[-1] == 0
This solution addresses the problem of determining whether a set of integers can be partitioned into k
subsets such that each subset sums to the same value. The Python function findKSubsets
operates by first calculating the total sum of the integers in the list nums
. If this total sum is not divisible by k
, it returns False
as it's impossible to partition the set equally.
The function then calculates the desired sum for each subset by dividing the total_sum
by k
. It uses a dynamic programming approach, utilizing a bitmask to represent possible subsets, with subset_sums
array storing the current sum of each subset represented by the bitmask state.
To determine if integers can successfully form a subset with the desired sum, the function iterates through all possible states of subsets. For each state, it checks if each integer (not already included in the subset) can be added without exceeding the desired sum. If adding the integer results in a total equal to desired_sum
, the sum is reset to zero (modulo operation) to allow for the next set's evaluation.
If at any point the full subset (including all items) has a sum of zero modulo the desired_sum
, it indicates that partitioning into k
equal sums is possible. The function finally returns True
if it finds such a subset arrangement; otherwise, it returns False
.
No comments yet.