Count number of unique ways to paint a N x 3 grid

Given an integer N, the task is to paint a grid of size N x 3 using colors Red, Yellow, or Green while making such that no pair of adjacent cells has the same color. Print the number of distinct ways in which it is possible

Examples:

Input: N = 1
Output: 12
Explanation:
Following 12 possible ways to paint the grid exists:

1. Red, Yellow, Red
2. Yellow, Red, Yellow
3. Green, Red, Yellow
4. Red, Yellow, Green
5. Yellow, Red, Green
6. Green, Red, Green
7. Red, Green, Red
8. Yellow, Green, Red
9. Green, Yellow, Red
10. Red, Green, Yellow
11. Yellow, Green, Yellow
12. Green, Yellow, Green

Input: N = 2
Output: 102

Approach: Follow the steps below to solve the problem:

• Ways to color a row can be split into the following two categories:
  • The leftmost and rightmost cells are of the same color.
  • The leftmost and rightmost cells are of different colors.
• Considering the first case:
  • Six possible ways exist to paint the row such that the leftmost and rightmost colors are of the same.
  • For every color occupying both the leftmost and rightmost cell, there exists two different colors with which the middle row can be colored.
• Considering the second case:
  • Six possible ways exist to paint the leftmost and rightmost colors are different.
  • Three choices for the left cell, two choices for the middle, and fill the rightmost cell with the only remaining color. Therefore, the total number of possibilities is 3*2*1 = 6.
• Now, for the subsequent cells, look at the following example:
  • If the previous row is painted as Red Green Red, then there are the following five valid ways to color the current row:
    • {Green Red Green}
    • {Green Red  Yellow}
    • {Green Yellow Green}
    • {Yellow Red Green}
    • {Yellow Red Yellow}
  • From the above observation, it is clear that three possibilities have ends with the same color, and two possibilities have ends with different colors.
  • If the previous row is colored Red Green Yellow, the following four possibilities of coloring the current row exists:
    • {Green Red Green}
    • {Green Yellow Red}
    • {Green Yellow Green}
    • {Yellow Red Green}
  • From the above observation, it is clear that possibilities have ends the same color, and two possibilities have ends with different colors.
• Therefore, based on the above observations, the following recurrence relation can be defined for the number of ways to paint the N rows:

Count of ways to color current row having ends of same color S_N+1 = 3 * S_N + 2D_N

Count of ways to color current row having ends of different colors D_N+1 = 2 * S_N + 2D_N

Total number of ways to paint all N rows is equal to the sum of S_N and D_N.

Below is the implementation of the above approach:

C++

// C++ program for the above approach
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;

// Function to count the number
// of ways to paint  N * 3 grid
// based on given conditions
void waysToPaint(int n)
{

    // Count of ways to pain a
    // row with same colored ends
    int same = 6;

    // Count of ways to pain a row
    // with different colored ends
    int diff = 6;

    // Traverse up to (N - 1)th row
    for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {

        // Calculate the count of ways
        // to paint the current row

        // For same colored ends
        long sameTmp = 3 * same + 2 * diff;

        // For different colored ends
        long diffTmp = 2 * same + 2 * diff;

        same = sameTmp;
        diff = diffTmp;
    }

    // Print the total number of ways
    cout << (same + diff);
}

// Driver Code
int main()
{
    int N = 2;
    waysToPaint(N);
}

// This code is contributed by ukasp.

Java

// Java program for the above approach
import java.io.*;
import java.lang.*;
import java.util.*;

class GFG {

    // Function to count the number
    // of ways to paint  N * 3 grid
    // based on given conditions
    static void waysToPaint(int n)
    {

        // Count of ways to pain a
        // row with same colored ends
        long same = 6;

        // Count of ways to pain a row
        // with different colored ends
        long diff = 6;

        // Traverse up to (N - 1)th row
        for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {

            // Calculate the count of ways
            // to paint the current row

            // For same colored ends
            long sameTmp = 3 * same + 2 * diff;

            // For different colored ends
            long diffTmp = 2 * same + 2 * diff;

            same = sameTmp;
            diff = diffTmp;
        }

        // Print the total number of ways
        System.out.println(same + diff);
    }

    // Driver code
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {

        int N = 2;

        // Function call
        waysToPaint(N);
    }
}

Python3

# Python3 program for the above approach

# Function to count the number
# of ways to paint  N * 3 grid
# based on given conditions


def waysToPaint(n):

    # Count of ways to pain a
    # row with same colored ends
    same = 6

    # Count of ways to pain a row
    # with different colored ends
    diff = 6

    # Traverse up to (N - 1)th row
    for _ in range(n - 1):

        # Calculate the count of ways
        # to paint the current row

        # For same colored ends
        sameTmp = 3 * same + 2 * diff

        # For different colored ends
        diffTmp = 2 * same + 2 * diff

        same = sameTmp
        diff = diffTmp

    # Print the total number of ways
    print(same + diff)


# Driver Code

N = 2
waysToPaint(N)

C#

// C# program for the above approach
using System;

class GFG {

    // Function to count the number
    // of ways to paint N * 3 grid
    // based on given conditions
    static void waysToPaint(int n)
    {

        // Count of ways to pain a
        // row with same colored ends
        long same = 6;

        // Count of ways to pain a row
        // with different colored ends
        long diff = 6;

        // Traverse up to (N - 1)th row
        for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {

            // Calculate the count of ways
            // to paint the current row

            // For same colored ends
            long sameTmp = 3 * same + 2 * diff;

            // For different colored ends
            long diffTmp = 2 * same + 2 * diff;

            same = sameTmp;
            diff = diffTmp;
        }

        // Print the total number of ways
        Console.WriteLine(same + diff);
    }

    // Driver code
    static public void Main()
    {
        int N = 2;

        waysToPaint(N);
    }
}

// This code is contributed by offbeat

Javascript

<script>

// Javascript program for the above approach

// Function to count the number
// of ways to paint  N * 3 grid
// based on given conditions
function waysToPaint(n)
{

    // Count of ways to pain a
    // row with same colored ends
    var same = 6;

    // Count of ways to pain a row
    // with different colored ends
    var diff = 6;

    // Traverse up to (N - 1)th row
    for(var i = 0; i < n - 1; i++)
    {

        // Calculate the count of ways
        // to paint the current row

        // For same colored ends
        var sameTmp = 3 * same + 2 * diff;

        // For different colored ends
        var diffTmp = 2 * same + 2 * diff;

          same = sameTmp;
          diff = diffTmp;
    }

    // Print the total number of ways
    document.write(same + diff);
}

// Driver code
var N = 2;

// Function call
waysToPaint(N);

// This code is contributed by Khushboogoyal499

</script>

Output:

12

Time Complexity: O(N)
Auxiliary Space: O(1)