Guess Number Higher or Lower

Category

Binary Search

Checkbox

Difficulty

Easy

Index

Key Ideas

The key idea to solve this problem is to use binary search to narrow down the range of possible numbers by comparing the guessed number with the target number and adjusting the search range accordingly.

Problem Number

374

Problem Summary

The problem "Guess Number Higher or Lower" is a binary search problem where you are asked to guess a number between a given range. You need to minimize the number of guesses by using the feedback from the given API. A key pitfall to watch out for is making sure to handle the edge cases properly, such as when the target number is at the boundaries of the given range.

Solution Summary

The best solution to solve the Guess Number Higher or Lower problem is to use the binary search algorithm. This algorithm works by repeatedly dividing the search space in half based on the comparison of a guessed number with the target number. Starting with the range of possible numbers, we can make a guess in the middle. If the guess is higher than the target number, we update the upper bound of the range, and if the guess is lower, we update the lower bound. By continuously halving the search space, we can narrow down the possible numbers until we find the target number. This approach guarantees a time complexity of O(log n) since we eliminate half of the remaining numbers in each iteration.