Minimum Number of Taps to Water the Garden

Given a garden that extends along a one-dimensional x-axis from point 0 to point N, your task is to determine the minimum number of taps needed to water the entire garden. The garden has N+1 taps located at positions [0, 1, 2, ..., N].

Each tap, once opened, waters a range from (i - ranges[i]) to (i + ranges[i]), inclusive. You must find the fewest number of taps required to water every part of the garden from point 0 to point N. Return -1 if it's not possible to water the entire garden.

Input:

Integer T, the number of test cases 
For each test case:
- Integer N, the range of the garden.
- Array ranges of size N+1, where ranges[i] indicates the water coverage radius a tap at point i can achieve.

Output:

For each test case, a single integer representing the minimum number of taps required. If the garden cannot be fully watered, return -1.

Example:

Consider an input where T = 1, N = 5, and ranges = [3,4,1,1,0,0].

Input:
T = 1
N = 5
ranges = [3, 4, 1, 1, 0, 0]
Output:
1
Explanation:

By opening the tap at position 1, which covers points from -3 to 5, the entire garden from 0 to 5 is watered.

Constraints:

  • 1 <= T <= 10
  • 1 <= N <= 104
  • 0 <= ranges[i] <= 100
  • Time Limit: 1 sec
AnswerBot
4mo

Find the minimum number of taps needed to water the entire garden with given tap ranges.

  • Iterate over each tap and find the maximum range it can cover.

  • Sort the taps based on their starting point and en...read more

Help your peers!
Select
Add answer anonymously...

BNY Software Developer interview questions & answers

A Software Developer was asked 11mo agoQ. Explain the SOLID principles.
A Software Developer was asked Q. How would you implement compression on a text file using Huffman coding?
A Software Developer was asked Q. What does growth mean to you?

Popular interview questions of Software Developer

A Software Developer was asked 12mo agoQ1. Explain the SOLID principles.
A Software Developer was asked Q2. How would you implement compression on a text file using Huffman coding?
A Software Developer was asked Q3. What does growth mean to you?
BNY Software Developer Interview Questions
Stay ahead in your career. Get AmbitionBox app
play-icon
play-icon
qr-code
Trusted by over 1.5 Crore job seekers to find their right fit company
80 L+

Reviews

10L+

Interviews

4 Cr+

Salaries

1.5 Cr+

Users

Contribute to help millions

Made with ❤️ in India. Trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved © 2025 Info Edge (India) Ltd.

Follow Us
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Profile Image
Hello, Guest
AmbitionBox Employee Choice Awards 2025
Winners announced!
awards-icon
Contribute to help millions!
Write a review
Write a review
Share interview
Share interview
Contribute salary
Contribute salary
Add office photos
Add office photos
Add office benefits
Add office benefits