How to Solve Open the Lock Leetcode Problem - Interview Coder Guide
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How to Solve Open the Lock Problem

Master the Open the Lock LeetCode problem with undetectable real-time assistance. Get instant solutions and explanations during your coding interviews.

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Medium#753
LeetCode Problem

Open the Lock

You have a lock in front of you with 4 circular wheels. Each wheel has 10 slots: '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'. The wheels can rotate freely and wrap around: for example we can turn...

ArrayHash TableString+1 more

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Problem Breakdown

Understanding the Open the Lock Problem

Let's break down this LeetCode problem and understand what makes it challenging in interview settings.

Problem Statement

You have a lock in front of you with 4 circular wheels. Each wheel has 10 slots: '0', '1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'. The wheels can rotate freely and wrap around: for example we can turn '9' to be '0', or '0' to be '9'. Each move consists of turning one wheel one slot. The lock initially starts at '0000', a string representing the state of the 4 wheels. You are given a list of deadends dead ends, meaning if the lock displays any of these codes, the wheels of the lock will stop turning and you will be unable to open it. Given a target representing the value of the wheels that will unlock the lock, return the minimum total number of turns required to open the lock, or -1 if it is impossible.

MediumProblem #753
LeetCode

Open the Lock

Related Topics
ArrayHash TableStringBreadth-First Search
How Interview Coder Helps

Get real-time assistance for Open the Lock problems during coding interviews. Interview Coder provides instant solutions and explanations.

Examples

Example 1
INPUT
deadends = ["0201","0101","0102","1212","2002"], target = "0202"
OUTPUT
6
EXPLANATION

A sequence of valid moves would be "0000" -> "1000" -> "1100" -> "1200" -> "1201" -> "1202" -> "0202". Note that a sequence like "0000" -> "0001" -> "0002" -> "0102" -> "0202" would be invalid, because the wheels of the lock become stuck after the display becomes the dead end "0102".

Example 2
INPUT
deadends = ["8888"], target = "0009"
OUTPUT
1
EXPLANATION

We can turn the last wheel in reverse to move from "0000" -> "0009".

Example 3
INPUT
deadends = ["8887","8889","8878","8898","8788","8988","7888","9888"], target = "8888"
OUTPUT
-1
EXPLANATION

We cannot reach the target without getting stuck.

Constraints

1 <= deadends.length <= 500
deadends[i].length == 4
target.length == 4
target will not be in the list deadends.
target and deadends[i] consist of digits only.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about solving Open the Lock and using Interview Coder during coding interviews.

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