Smallest Range Across K Lists | Dataford Interview Questions

Given k sorted lists, find the smallest range that includes at least one number from each of the k lists.

Implement smallest_range(nums), where nums is a non-empty list of non-empty sorted integer lists. Return a two-element list [start, end] representing the smallest inclusive range. If multiple ranges have the same width, return the one with the smaller start value.

Constraints

1 <= len(nums) <= 3500
1 <= len(nums[i]) <= 3500
Each list is sorted in nondecreasing order
All values are integers between -10^9 and 10^9
The total number of values across all lists is at most 10^5

Function Signature

def smallest_range(nums):

Your question is Smallest Range Across K Lists. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.

Problem

Given k sorted lists, find the smallest range that includes at least one number from each of the k lists.

Constraints

1 <= len(nums) <= 3500
1 <= len(nums[i]) <= 3500
Each list is sorted in nondecreasing order
All values are integers between -10^9 and 10^9
The total number of values across all lists is at most 10^5

Function Signature

def smallest_range(nums):

Your question is Smallest Range Across K Lists. Start with the requirements in the Question tab.

Run and submit as often as you like. When you're ready, talk me through your approach or go straight to the code.