You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
int solution(char *S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
int solution(string &S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
int solution(string &S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
class Solution { public int solution(string S); }
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
int solution(String S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
func Solution(S string) int
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
class Solution { public int solution(String S); }
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
class Solution { public int solution(String S); }
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
function solution(S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
fun solution(S: String): Int
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
function solution(S)
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Note: All arrays in this task are zero-indexed, unlike the common Lua convention. You can use #A to get the length of the array A.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
int solution(NSString *S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
function solution(S: PChar): longint;
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
function solution($S);
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
sub solution { my ($S) = @_; ... }
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
def solution(S)
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
def solution(s)
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
object Solution { def solution(s: String): Int }
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
public func solution(_ S : inout String) -> Int
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
function solution(S: string): number;
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
You are given a string S consisting of letters 'a' and 'b'. The task is to rearrange letters in S so that it contains three consecutive letters 'a' and three consecutive letters 'b'. What is the minimum necessary number of swaps of neighbouring letters to achieve this?
Write a function:
Private Function solution(S As String) As Integer
that, given a string S of length N, returns the number of swaps after which S would contain "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings. If it's not possible to rearrange the letters in such a way, the function should return −1.
Examples:
1. Given S = "ababab", the function should return 3. The sequence of swaps could be as follows: ababab → abaabb → aababb → aaabbb.
2. Given S = "abbbbaa", the function should return 4. The sequence of four swaps is: abbbbaa → babbbaa → bbabbaa → bbbabaa → bbbbaaa.
3. Given S = "bbbababaaab", the function should return 0. S already contains both "aaa" and "bbb" as substrings.
4. Given S = "abbabb", the function should return −1. It is not possible to obtain the required result from S as there are only two letters 'a'.
Write an efficient algorithm for the following assumptions:
- N is an integer within the range [1..100,000];
- string S is made only of the characters 'a' and/or 'b'.
Copyright 2009–2024 by Codility Limited. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized copying, publication or disclosure prohibited.
