Diving Board: Generate All Possible Board Lengths (CTCI 16.11)

TL;DR

• The Problem: CTCI problem 16.11 technical mechanics.
• The Approach: CTCI problem 16.11: compute all possible total lengths of a diving board built using K planks of shorter or longer size.
• Complexity: Optimal Time and Memory bounds.

This article provides a clear breakdown of CTCI problem 16.11.

1. Context and Problem Statement

CTCI problem 16.11: compute all possible total lengths of a diving board built using K planks of shorter or longer size.

2. Technical Code & Mechanics

public static Set<Integer> allLengths(int k, int shorter, int longer) {
    Set<Integer> lengths = new HashSet<>();
    for (int i = 0; i <= k; i++) {
        int length = i * shorter + (k - i) * longer;
        lengths.add(length);
    }
    return lengths;
}

3. Key Takeaways and Edge Cases

Always test boundary conditions and invalid input states.