chore(notes): remove 1365 notes and 451.sort-characters-by-frequency.js file

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Prad Nukala
2026-07-13 12:15:40 -04:00
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commit 090189ccf7
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/*
* 451. Sort Characters By Frequency
* Difficulty: Medium
* https://leetcode.com/problems/sort-characters-by-frequency/
*
* ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
*
* Given a string s, sort it in decreasing order based on the frequency
* of the characters. The frequency of a character is the number of times
* it appears in the string.
*
* Return the sorted string. If there are multiple answers, return any
* of them.
*
*
*
* Example 1:
*
* Input: s = "tree"
* Output: "eert"
* Explanation: 'e' appears twice while 'r' and 't' both appear once.
* So 'e' must appear before both 'r' and 't'. Therefore "eetr" is also
* a valid answer.
*
* Example 2:
*
* Input: s = "cccaaa"
* Output: "aaaccc"
* Explanation: Both 'c' and 'a' appear three times, so both "cccaaa"
* and "aaaccc" are valid answers.
* Note that "cacaca" is incorrect, as the same characters must be
* together.
*
* Example 3:
*
* Input: s = "Aabb"
* Output: "bbAa"
* Explanation: "bbaA" is also a valid answer, but "Aabb" is incorrect.
* Note that 'A' and 'a' are treated as two different characters.
*
*
*
* Constraints:
*
* • 1 <= s.length <= 5 * 10^5
*
* • s consists of uppercase and lowercase English letters and digits.
*/
/**
* @param {string} s
* @return {string}
*/
var frequencySort = function (s) {
const freq = {};
for (let c of s) freq[c] = (freq[c] || 0) + 1;
return s
.split("")
.sort((a, b) => freq[b] - freq[a] || a.localeCompare(b))
.join("");
};
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# 1365. How Many Numbers Are Smaller Than the Current Number
**Difficulty:** Easy
**URL:** https://leetcode.com/problems/how-many-numbers-are-smaller-than-the-current-number/
**Topics:** Array, Hash Table, Sorting, Counting Sort
---
## The One Insight That Makes This Work
> If I know how many times each value appears, and I add those counts up from left to right, then `prefix[v]` tells me **how many elements are ≤ v** — instantly, for any v.
That's it. Everything below is just executing this idea.
---
## Step 1: Spot the Signal
Read the constraints:
```
0 <= nums[i] <= 100
```
Values are bounded to a tiny range (0100). This is the **flashing neon sign** that says: don't sort, don't nest loops — build a frequency array indexed by value.
**Rule of thumb:** value range ≤ ~10⁶ and you need counting/ranking? Frequency array.
---
## Step 2: Count Every Value (the "bucket" pass)
Make an array with one slot per possible value. Walk the input once. Each number votes for its own slot.
```javascript
const freq = new Array(101).fill(0); // slots for values 0..100
for (const x of nums) freq[x]++;
```
For `nums = [8, 1, 2, 2, 3]`:
```
value: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ...
freq: 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 ...
```
Read it as: "one 1, two 2s, one 3, one 8."
---
## Step 3: Prefix Sum (the magic pass)
Now transform `freq` in place: each slot becomes itself **plus everything before it**.
```javascript
for (let i = 1; i < 101; i++) freq[i] += freq[i - 1];
```
Same example after the pass:
```
value: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ...
freq: 0 1 3 4 4 4 4 4 5 ...
```
New meaning: `freq[v]` = **count of elements ≤ v**.
- `freq[3] = 4` → four numbers are ≤ 3 (they are 1, 2, 2, 3) ✓
- `freq[7] = 4` → still four numbers ≤ 7 ✓
---
## Step 4: Answer Queries in O(1)
"How many numbers are **strictly smaller** than x?" is the same question as "how many numbers are **≤ x 1**?"
```javascript
return nums.map((x) => (x === 0 ? 0 : freq[x - 1]));
```
The `x === 0` guard exists because nothing can be smaller than the minimum possible value — and `freq[-1]` would be `undefined`.
Trace on `[8, 1, 2, 2, 3]`:
| x | lookup | answer |
|---|--------|--------|
| 8 | freq[7] | 4 |
| 1 | freq[0] | 0 |
| 2 | freq[1] | 1 |
| 2 | freq[1] | 1 |
| 3 | freq[2] | 3 |
`[4, 0, 1, 1, 3]`
---
## Full Solution
```javascript
var smallerNumbersThanCurrent = function (nums) {
// 1. Bucket counts
const freq = new Array(101).fill(0);
for (const x of nums) freq[x]++;
// 2. Prefix sum: freq[v] = count of elements <= v
for (let i = 1; i < 101; i++) freq[i] += freq[i - 1];
// 3. Strictly smaller than x == count of elements <= x-1
return nums.map((x) => (x === 0 ? 0 : freq[x - 1]));
};
```
**Complexity:** O(n + k) time, O(k) space, where k = value range (101 here). No sort, no log factor.
---
## The Reusable Pattern (memorize this shape)
```
1. BUCKET — freq[value]++ for every element
2. PREFIX — freq[i] += freq[i-1] left to right
3. QUERY — freq[v] answers "how many ≤ v" in O(1)
freq[v-1] answers "how many < v"
n - freq[v] answers "how many > v"
```
### Where else this exact shape shows up
| Problem | Same pattern, different query |
|---|---|
| **Counting Sort** | Prefix sums become final sorted positions |
| **LC 315 / rank queries** | "How many smaller" is literally a rank |
| **LC 1122 Relative Sort Array** | Bucket + walk buckets in order |
| **Radix sort digit pass** | Bucket by digit, prefix for placement |
| **Histogram percentiles** | freq[v] / n = percentile of v |
| **"How many in range [a, b]?"** | freq[b] freq[a1] — the prefix subtraction trick |
### The generalization ladder
- Values bounded and small → **frequency array** (this pattern)
- Values huge but few distinct → **coordinate compression** first, then this pattern
- Need updates between queries → upgrade prefix array to a **Fenwick tree (BIT)** — same idea, log-time updates
---
## Common Mistakes
1. **Returning `freq[x]` instead of `freq[x-1]`** — that counts elements ≤ x (including x itself and its duplicates). Off-by-one between "≤" and "<" is where this pattern bites.
2. **Forgetting the `x === 0` edge** — smallest possible value has nothing below it.
3. **Sizing the array to `nums.length` instead of the value range** — the buckets are indexed by *value*, not position.