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Minimum moves to empty a String by repeatedly deleting substrings with different start and end

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Given a string str, the task is to find the minimum number of moves required to make str empty by deleting any substring whose starting and ending characters are different. If it is not possible to empty a string, return “-1“.

Examples:

Input: str = “abba”
Output: 2
Explanation: Follow the following steps to get the empty string: “abba” -> (delete ab) -> “ba” -> (delete ba) -> “”

Input: aba
Output: -1
Explanation: It is not possible to empty the given string.

Input: abc
Output: 1

 

Approach: The task can be solved on the basis of observations. 

  • If the first & last characters are not equal, then only one operation is needed
  • Else, check if there exist any 2 indices, which don’t match with the first & last characters. If they exist, the minimum number of operations needed are two, else it is impossible to reduce the string to an empty string.

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 number of moves
// required to make the string empty.
void numberOfMoves(string& str, int n)
{
    // If the first and the last
    // character are different
    if (str[0] != str[n - 1]) {
        cout << "1";
        return;
    }
 
    // Check if there is a index i such that
    // s[i] != s[0] and s[i+1] != s[n-1]
    for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
        if (str[i] != str[0]
            && str[i + 1] != str[n - 1]) {
            cout << "2";
            return;
        }
    }
 
    // If no such index exists then
    // the answer is -1
    cout << -1;
    return;
}
 
// Driver Code
int main()
{
    string str = "abba";
    int n = 4;
    numberOfMoves(str, n);
}


Java




// Java code for the above approach
import java.io.*;
 
class GFG
{
 
  // Function to find the number of moves
  // required to make the string empty.
  static void numberOfMoves(String str, int n)
  {
 
    // If the first and the last
    // character are different
    if (str.charAt(0) != str.charAt(n-1)) {
      System.out.println("1");
      return;
    }
 
    // Check if there is a index i such that
    // s[i] != s[0] and s[i+1] != s[n-1]
    for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
      if (str.charAt(i) != str.charAt(0)
          && str.charAt(i+1) != str.charAt(n-1)) {
        System.out.println("2");
        return;
      }
    }
 
    // If no such index exists then
    // the answer is -1
    System.out.println(-1);
    return;
  }
 
  // Driver Code
  public static void main (String[] args) {
    String str = "abba";
    int n = 4;
    numberOfMoves(str, n);
 
  }
}
 
// This code is contributed by Potta Lokesh


Python3




# Python program for the above approach
 
# Function to find the number of moves
# required to make the string empty.
def numberOfMoves(str, n):
   
    # If the first and the last
    # character are different
    if (str[0] != str[n - 1]):
        print("1")
        return
 
    # Check if there is a index i such that
    # s[i] != s[0] and s[i+1] != s[n-1]
    for i in range(0, len(str)):
        if (str[i] != str[0] and
            str[i + 1] != str[n - 1]):
                 
            print("2")
            return
 
    # If no such index exists then
    # the answer is -1
    print(-1)
    return
 
# Driver Code
if __name__ == '__main__':
     
    str = "abba"
    n = 4;
    numberOfMoves(str, n);
 
    # This code is contributed by Samim Hossain Mondal.


C#




// C# program for the above approach
using System;
 
public class GFG
{
 
// Function to find the number of moves
// required to make the string empty.
static void numberOfMoves(string str, int n)
{
   
    // If the first and the last
    // character are different
    if (str[0] != str[n - 1]) {
        Console.WriteLine("1");
        return;
    }
 
    // Check if there is a index i such that
    // s[i] != s[0] and s[i+1] != s[n-1]
    for (int i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
        if (str[i] != str[0]
            && str[i + 1] != str[n - 1]) {
            Console.WriteLine("2");
            return;
        }
    }
 
    // If no such index exists then
    // the answer is -1
    Console.WriteLine(-1);
    return;
}
 
// Driver Code
public static void Main(String []args) {
     
    string str = "abba";
    int n = 4;
    numberOfMoves(str, n);
}
}
 
// This code is contributed by target_2.


Javascript




<script>
// Javascript program for the above approach
 
 
// Function to find the number of moves
// required to make the string empty.
function numberOfMoves(str, n) {
  // If the first and the last
  // character are different
  if (str[0] != str[n - 1]) {
    document.write("1");
    return;
  }
 
  // Check if there is a index i such that
  // s[i] != s[0] and s[i+1] != s[n-1]
  for (let i = 0; i < n - 1; i++) {
    if (str[i] != str[0]
      && str[i + 1] != str[n - 1]) {
      document.write("2");
      return;
    }
  }
 
  // If no such index exists then
  // the answer is -1
  document.write(-1);
  return;
}
 
// Driver Code
 
let str = "abba";
let n = 4;
numberOfMoves(str, n);
 
// This code is contributed by gfgking.
</script>


Output

2

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



Last Updated : 27 Mar, 2023
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