Minimum Difference Between Highest and Lowest of K Scores

Author: volodimyr

1984.minimum_difference_between_highest_and_lowest_of_k_scores/min_diff.py

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+# 1984. Minimum Difference Between Highest and Lowest of K Scores
+# Topics: 'Array', 'Sliding Window', 'Sorting'
+
+# You are given a 0-indexed integer array nums, where nums[i] represents the score of the ith student. You are also given an integer k.
+
+# Pick the scores of any k students from the array so that the difference between the highest and the lowest of the k scores is minimized.
+
+# Return the minimum possible difference.
+
+ 
+
+# Example 1:
+
+# Input: nums = [90], k = 1
+# Output: 0
+# Explanation: There is one way to pick score(s) of one student:
+# - [90]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 90 - 90 = 0.
+# The minimum possible difference is 0.
+
+# Example 2:
+
+# Input: nums = [9,4,1,7], k = 2
+# Output: 2
+# Explanation: There are six ways to pick score(s) of two students:
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 9 - 4 = 5.
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 9 - 1 = 8.
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 9 - 7 = 2.
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 4 - 1 = 3.
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 7 - 4 = 3.
+# - [9,4,1,7]. The difference between the highest and lowest score is 7 - 1 = 6.
+# The minimum possible difference is 2.
+
+ 
+
+# Constraints:
+
+#     1 <= k <= nums.length <= 1000
+#     0 <= nums[i] <= 105
+
+from typing import List
+
+class Solution:
+    def minimumDifference(self, nums: List[int], k: int) -> int:
+        if len(nums) <= 1:
+            return 0
+        if k == 1:
+            return 0
+        nums.sort()
+        min_diff = nums[k-1]-nums[0]
+        if min_diff == 0:
+            return 0
+        for i in range(k, len(nums), 1):
+            min_diff = min(min_diff, nums[i]-nums[i-k+1])
+            if min_diff == 0:
+                return 0
+        return min_diff