Distribute Candies to People

We can understand this problem by simulating the distribution of candies. Here’s a step-by-step approach and code to do that:

Understanding the Problem

You are given a number of candies and a number of people arranged in a row. You need to distribute the candies to the people in a specific pattern, and return an array that represents the final distribution.

Solution Approach

1. Initialize the Result Array: Create an array of length num_people filled with zeros. This will store the candies for each person.

2. Distribute the Candies: Keep distributing candies in the pattern described until you run out of candies.

3. Handle the Remaining Candies: If there are not enough candies to complete a turn, give the remaining candies to the current person.

4. Return the Result: Return the final array representing the distribution of candies.

Here’s the code:

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class Solution:
    def distributeCandies(self, candies: int, num_people: int) -> List[int]:
        # Initialize the result array with zeros
        result = [0] * num_people

        # Initialize variables to keep track of the current person and the current number of candies to give
        person = 0
        give = 1

        # Loop until all candies are distributed
        while candies > 0:
            # If there are not enough candies to give the current number, give all remaining candies
            if candies < give:
                result[person] += candies
                candies = 0
            else:
                result[person] += give
                candies -= give

            # Move to the next person and increase the number of candies to give
            person = (person + 1) % num_people
            give += 1

        return result

Key Takeaways

• We have initialized the result array and used two variables to keep track of the current person and the number of candies to give.
• We have looped through the distribution process, handling the case where there are not enough candies to complete a turn.
• We have returned the final array that represents the distribution of candies.

This code effectively distributes the candies according to the given pattern and meets the problem’s constraints.