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Minimize cost to convert given string to a palindrome

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Given a string S of length N and an integer P denoting a pointer to Pth index of the string, the task is to find the minimum cost to convert the string into a palindrome by performing the following operations:

  • Pointer P can be moved from index i to index j and the cost required is |i – j| where 0 ? i < N and 0 ? j < N.
  • The cost to change the character at the Pth index is 1.

Examples:

Input: S = “saad”, P = 1
Output: 2
Explanation:
Initially the pointer is at index 1.
Step 1: Move pointer to index 0. Therefore, cost = 1 – 0 = 1.
Step 2: Change character s to d. Therefore, cost = 1 + 1 = 2 and S = “daad”
Hence, the cost is 2.

Input: S = “bass”, P = 3
Output: 3
Explanation:
Initially the pointer is at index 3.
Step 1: Change character at index P = 3 to b. Therefore, cost = 1 and S = “basb”.
Step 2: Move pointer to index 2. Therefore, cost = 1 + 1 = 2.
Step 3: Change character at index P = 2 to a. Therefore, cost = 3 and S = “baab”
Hence, the cost is 3.

Approach: The idea is to find the first and the last character that needs to be changed in the first half of the string when the pointer is in the first half or reverse the string if the pointer is in the second half and adjust the pointer accordingly. Follow the below steps to solve the problem: 

  • If the pointer is in the second half then reverse the string and change the pointer to (N – 1 – P).
  • Now, find the farthest character’s position needed to change at the left and right side in the first half of the string. Let them be l and r.
  • Find the total cost to change the characters i.e., total characters in the first half such that S[i] != s[N – i – 1] where 0 < i < N/2.
  • The minimum distance traverse to change the characters is min(2*(P – l) + r – P, 2*(r – P) + P – l).
  • Print the answer as the sum of the cost to change the characters and minimum distance to travel.

Below is the implementation of the above approach:

C++




// C++ program for the above approach
 
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
 
// Function to find the minimum cost to
// convert the string into a palindrome
int findMinCost(string str, int pos)
{
 
    // Length of the string
    int n = str.length();
 
    // If iointer is in the second half
    if (pos >= n / 2) {
 
        // Reverse the string
        reverse(str.begin(), str.end());
        pos = n - pos - 1;
    }
 
    int left, right;
 
    // Pointing to initial position
    left = right = pos;
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on left side
    for (int i = pos; i >= 0; --i) {
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1]) {
            left = i;
        }
    }
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on right side
    for (int i = pos; i < n / 2; ++i) {
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1]) {
            right = i;
        }
    }
 
    int ans = 0;
 
    for (int i = left; i <= right; ++i) {
 
        // Changing the variable to make
        // string palindrome
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1])
            ans += 1;
    }
 
    // min distance to travel to make
    // string palindrome
    int dis = min((2 * (pos - left)
                   + (right - pos)),
                  (2 * (right - pos)
                   + (pos - left)));
 
    // Total cost
    ans = ans + dis;
 
    // Return the minimum cost
    return ans;
}
 
// Driver Code
int main()
{
    // Given string S
    string S = "bass";
 
    // Given pointer P
    int P = 3;
 
    // Function Call
    cout << findMinCost(S, P);
 
    return 0;
}


Java




// Java program for the above approach
import java.util.*;
 
class GFG{
     
// Function to find the minimum cost to
// convert the string into a palindrome
static int findMinCost(String str, int pos)
{
     
    // Length of the string
    int n = str.length();
    StringBuilder input1 = new StringBuilder();
    input1.append(str);
     
    // If iointer is in the second half
    if (pos >= n / 2)
    {
         
        // Reverse the string
        input1 = input1.reverse();
        pos = n - pos - 1;
    }
 
    int left, right;
 
    // Pointing to initial position
    left = right = pos;
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on left side
    for(int i = pos; i >= 0; --i)
    {
        if (input1.charAt(i) !=
            input1.charAt(n - i - 1))
        {
            left = i;
        }
    }
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on right side
    for(int i = pos; i < n / 2; ++i)
    {
        if (input1.charAt(i) !=
            input1.charAt(n - i - 1))
        {
            right = i;
        }
    }
 
    int ans = 0;
 
    for(int i = left; i <= right; ++i)
    {
         
        // Changing the variable to make
        // string palindrome
        if (input1.charAt(i) !=
            input1.charAt(n - i - 1))
            ans += 1;
    }
 
    // min distance to travel to make
    // string palindrome
    int dis = Math.min((2 * (pos - left) +
                          (right - pos)),
                     (2 * (right - pos) +
                            (pos - left)));
 
    // Total cost
    ans = ans + dis;
 
    // Return the minimum cost
    return ans;
}
 
// Driver Code
public static void main(String args[])
{
     
    // Given string S
    String S = "bass";
 
    // Given pointer P
    int P = 3;
 
    // Function Call
    System.out.println(findMinCost(S, P));
}
}
 
// This code is contributed by bgangwar59


Python3




# Python3 program for the above approach
 
# Function to find the minimum cost to
# convert the into a palindrome
def findMinCost(strr, pos):
     
    # Length of the string
    n = len(strr)
     
    # If iointer is in the second half
    if (pos >= n / 2):
         
        # Reverse the string
        strr = strr[::-1]
        pos = n - pos - 1
         
    left, right = pos, pos
     
    # Pointing to initial position
    # left = right = pos
 
    # Find the farthest index needed
    # to change on left side
    for i in range(pos, -1, -1):
        if (strr[i] != strr[n - i - 1]):
            left = i
 
    # Find the farthest index needed
    # to change on right side
    for i in range(pos, n // 2):
        if (strr[i] != strr[n - i - 1]):
            right = i
 
    ans = 0
 
    for i in range(left, right + 1):
         
        # Changing the variable to make
        # palindrome
        if (strr[i] != strr[n - i - 1]):
            ans += 1
 
    # min distance to travel to make
    # palindrome
    dis = (min((2 * (pos - left) +
                  (right - pos)),
             (2 * (right - pos) +
                    (pos - left))))
 
    # Total cost
    ans = ans + dis
 
    # Return the minimum cost
    return ans
 
# Driver Code
if __name__ == '__main__':
     
    # Given S
    S = "bass"
 
    # Given pointer P
    P = 3
 
    # Function Call
    print(findMinCost(S, P))
 
# This code is contributed by mohit kumar 29


C#




// C# program for the
// above approach
using System;
class GFG{
     
// Function to find the minimum
// cost to convert the string
// into a palindrome
static int findMinCost(string str,
                       int pos)
{   
  // Length of the string
  int n = str.Length;
 
  char[] charArray =
         str.ToCharArray();
 
  // If iointer is in the
  // second half
  if (pos >= n / 2)
  {
    // Reverse the string
    Array.Reverse(charArray);
    pos = n - pos - 1;
  }
 
  int left, right;
 
  // Pointing to initial position
  left = right = pos;
 
  // Find the farthest index
  // needed to change on
  // left side
  for(int i = pos; i >= 0; --i)
  {
    if (charArray[i] !=
        charArray[n - i - 1])
    {
      left = i;
    }
  }
 
  // Find the farthest index
  // needed to change on right
  // side
  for(int i = pos; i < n / 2; ++i)
  {
    if (charArray[i] !=
        charArray[n - i - 1])
    {
      right = i;
    }
  }
 
  int ans = 0;
 
  for(int i = left; i <= right; ++i)
  {
    // Changing the variable to make
    // string palindrome
    if (charArray[i]!=
        charArray[n - i - 1])
      ans += 1;
  }
 
  // min distance to travel to make
  // string palindrome
  int dis = Math.Min((2 * (pos - left) +
                     (right - pos)),
                     (2 * (right - pos) +
                     (pos - left)));
 
  // Total cost
  ans = ans + dis;
 
  // Return the minimum cost
  return ans;
}
 
// Driver Code
public static void Main()
{   
  // Given string S
  string S = "bass";
 
  // Given pointer P
  int P = 3;
 
  // Function Call
  Console.Write(findMinCost(S, P));
}
}
 
// This code is contributed by Chitranayal


Javascript




<script>
 
// Javascript program for the above approach
 
// Function to find the minimum cost to
// convert the string into a palindrome
function findMinCost(str, pos)
{
     
    // Length of the string
    var n = str.length;
 
    // If iointer is in the second half
    if (pos >= n / 2)
    {
         
        // Reverse the string
        str.split('').reverse().fill('');
        pos = n - pos - 1;
    }
 
    var left, right;
 
    // Pointing to initial position
    left = right = pos;
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on left side
    for(var i = pos; i >= 0; --i)
    {
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1])
        {
            left = i;
        }
    }
 
    // Find the farthest index needed to
    // change on right side
    for(var i = pos; i < n / 2; ++i)
    {
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1])
        {
            right = i;
        }
    }
 
    var ans = 0;
 
    for(var i = left; i <= right; ++i)
    {
         
        // Changing the variable to make
        // string palindrome
        if (str[i] != str[n - i - 1])
            ans += 1;
    }
 
    // min distance to travel to make
    // string palindrome
    var dis = Math.min((2 * (pos - left) +
                          (right - pos)),
                     (2 * (right - pos) +
                            (pos - left)));
 
    // Total cost
    ans = ans + dis;
 
    // Return the minimum cost
    return ans;
}
 
// Driver Code
 
// Given string S
var S = "bass";
 
// Given pointer P
var P = 3;
 
// Function Call
document.write(findMinCost(S, P));
 
// This code is contributed by itsok
 
</script>


Output

3

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



Last Updated : 26 Oct, 2021
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