Minimum number of conversions to make the frequency of all characters odd

Given string str of lower case alphabets, the task is to output the minimum number of conversions to be made such that all characters are repeated an odd number of times, if the task is not possible, then print -1. Any alphabet can be converted into any other lower-case alphabet.

Examples:

Input: str = “geeksforgeeks”
Output: 2
Explanation: Convert one ‘g’ to ‘e’ and convert one ‘k’ to ‘s’
Input: str = “geeks”
Output: 1
Explanation: Convert ‘e’ to any character that is not present in the string

Approach: The given problem can be solved using a hashmap. The idea is to count the number of alphabets repeating an even number of times and storing their frequencies in the hashmap. The below approach can be followed to solve the problem:

Iterate the string and put all characters in the hashmap:
If the character is already present in the hashmap then increase its frequency by 1
Iterate the hashmap and count the number of characters with even frequency and store it in a variable count
If the value of count is:
- Even, then return count / 2
Odd and the size of hashmap is:
- Less than 26 then return count / 2 + 1
- Equal to 26 then return -1

C++

// C++ implementation for the above approach
 
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
 
// Function to return minimum
// number of conversions required
int maxconv(string s)
{
    // Declare a hashmap
    unordered_map<char, int> map;
 
    // Insert character into the map
    for (auto x : s) {
 
        // Increment the frequency of the
        // character present in the string
        map[x]++;
    }
 
    // Count to store number of even
    // frequency elements
    int count = 0;
 
    // Loop to calculate characters
    // with even frequency
    for (auto z : map) {
 
        // If frequency is even
        if (z.second % 2 == 0)
 
            // Increment the count
            count++;
    }
 
    // If characters with even
    // frequency are even
    if (count % 2 == 0)
 
        // return count / 2 as the answer
        return count / 2;
 
    // If characters with even
    // frequency are even are odd
    else if (count % 2 != 0) {
 
        // If map contains less than
        // 26 distinct characters
        if (map.size() < 26) {
 
            // Return count / 2 + 1
            // as the answer
            return (count / 2) + 1;
        }
        else {
 
            // If map contains 26
            // distinct characters
            return -1;
        }
    }
}
int main()
{
    // Initialize the string
    string s = "geeksforgeeks";
 
    // Call the function and
    // print the output
    cout << maxconv(s) << "\n";
}

Java

// Java code for the above approach
import java.util.*;
class GFG
{
   
    // Function to return minimum
    // number of conversions required
    static int maxconv(String s)
    {
       
        // Declare a hashmap
        HashMap<Character, Integer> map
            = new HashMap<Character, Integer>();
 
        // Converting given string to char array
 
        char[] strArray =s.toCharArray();
 
        // Insert character into the map
        for (char c : strArray) {
            if (map.containsKey(c)) {
 
                // If char is present in charCountMap,
                // incrementing it's count by 1
                map.put(c, map.get(c) + 1);
            }
            else {
 
                // If char is not present in charCountMap,
                // putting this char to charCountMap with 1
                // as it's value
                map.put(c, 1);
            }
        }
 
        // Count to store number of even
        // frequency elements
        int count = 0;
 
        // Loop to calculate characters
        // with even frequency
        for (Map.Entry entry : map.entrySet())
        {
            if ((int)entry.getValue() % 2 == 0)
            {
               
                // Increment the count
                count++;
            }
        }
 
        // If characters with even
        // frequency are even
        if ((count % 2) == 0)
 
            // return count / 2 as the answer
            return count / 2;
 
        // If characters with even
        // frequency are even are odd
        else if (count % 2 != 0) {
 
            // If map contains less than
            // 26 distinct characters
            if (map.size() < 26) {
 
                // Return count / 2 + 1
                // as the answer
                return (count / 2) + 1;
            }
            else {
 
                // If map contains 26
                // distinct characters
                return -1;
            }
        }
      return -1;
    }
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
       
        // Initialize the string
        String s = "geeksforgeeks";
 
        // Call the function and
        // print the output
 
        System.out.println(maxconv(s));
    }
}
 
// This code is contributed by Potta Lokesh

Python3

# python implementation for the above approach
 
# Function to return minimum
# number of conversions required
def maxconv(s):
 
    # Declare a hashmap
    map = {}
 
    # Insert character into the map
    for x in s:
 
        # Increment the frequency of the
        # character present in the string
        if x in map:
            map[x] += 1
        else:
            map[x] = 1
 
        # Count to store number of even
        # frequency elements
    count = 0
 
    # Loop to calculate characters
    # with even frequency
    for z in map:
 
                # If frequency is even
        if (map[z] % 2 == 0):
 
                        # Increment the count
            count += 1
 
        # If characters with even
        # frequency are even
    if (count % 2 == 0):
 
                # return count / 2 as the answer
        return count // 2
 
        # If characters with even
        # frequency are even are odd
    elif (count % 2 != 0):
 
        # If map contains less than
        # 26 distinct characters
        if (len(map) < 26):
 
            # Return count / 2 + 1
            # as the answer
            return (count // 2) + 1
 
        else:
 
            # If map contains 26
            # distinct characters
            return -1
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
 
        # Initialize the string
    s = "geeksforgeeks"
 
    # Call the function and
    # print the output
    print(maxconv(s))
 
    # This code is contributed by rakeshsahni

C#

// C# code for the above approach
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
class GFG
{
 
    // Function to return minimum
    // number of conversions required
    static int maxconv(String s)
    {
 
        // Declare a hashmap
        Dictionary<char, int> map = new Dictionary<char, int>();
 
        // Converting given string to char array
        char[] strArray = s.ToCharArray();
 
        // Insert character into the map
        foreach (char c in strArray)
        {
            if (map.ContainsKey(c))
            {
 
                // If char is present in charCountMap,
                // incrementing it's count by 1
                map = map + 1;
            }
            else
            {
 
                // If char is not present in charCountMap,
                // putting this char to charCountMap with 1
                // as it's value
                map = 1;
            }
        }
 
        // Count to store number of even
        // frequency elements
        int count = 0;
 
        // Loop to calculate characters
        // with even frequency
        foreach (int entry in map.Values)
        {
            if (entry % 2 == 0)
            {
 
                // Increment the count
                count++;
            }
        }
 
        // If characters with even
        // frequency are even
        if ((count % 2) == 0)
 
            // return count / 2 as the answer
            return count / 2;
 
        // If characters with even
        // frequency are even are odd
        else if (count % 2 != 0)
        {
 
            // If map contains less than
            // 26 distinct characters
            if (map.Count < 26)
            {
 
                // Return count / 2 + 1
                // as the answer
                return (count / 2) + 1;
            }
            else
            {
 
                // If map contains 26
                // distinct characters
                return -1;
            }
        }
        return -1;
    }
   
    public static void Main()
    {
 
        // Initialize the string
        String s = "geeksforgeeks";
 
        // Call the function and
        // print the output
        Console.Write(maxconv(s));
    }
}
 
// This code is contributed by gfgking

Javascript

<script>
// Javascript implementation for the above approach
 
// Function to return minimum
// number of conversions required
function maxconv(s)
{
 
  // Declare a hashmap
  let map = new Map();
 
  // Insert character into the map
  for (x of s) {
 
    // Increment the frequency of the
    // character present in the string
    if (map.has(x)) {
      map.set(x, map.get(x) + 1)
    } else {
      map.set(x, 1)
    }
  }
 
  // Count to store number of even
  // frequency elements
  let count = 0;
 
  // Loop to calculate characters
  // with even frequency
  for (z of map) {
 
    // If frequency is even
    if (z[1] % 2 == 0)
 
      // Increment the count
      count++;
  }
 
  // If characters with even
  // frequency are even
  if (count % 2 == 0)
 
    // return count / 2 as the answer
    return Math.floor(count / 2);
 
  // If characters with even
  // frequency are even are odd
  else if (count % 2 != 0) {
 
    // If map contains less than
    // 26 distinct characters
    if (map.length < 26) {
 
      // Return count / 2 + 1
      // as the answer
      return Math.floor(count / 2) + 1;
    }
    else {
 
      // If map contains 26
      // distinct characters
      return -1;
    }
  }
}
 
// Initialize the string
let s = "geeksforgeeks";
 
// Call the function and
// print the output
document.write(maxconv(s))
 
// This code is contributed by gfgking.
</script>