#1737
Change Minimum Characters to Satisfy One of Three Conditions
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hash table · string · counting · prefix sum
Description
You are given two strings a and b that consist of lowercase letters. In one operation, you can change any character in a or b to any lowercase letter.
Your goal is to satisfy one of the following three conditions:
- Every letter in a is strictly less than every letter in b in the alphabet.
- Every letter in b is strictly less than every letter in a in the alphabet.
- Both a and b consist of only one distinct letter.
Return the minimum number of operations needed to achieve your goal.
Example 1:
Input: a = "aba", b = "caa"
Output: 2
Explanation: Consider the best way to make each condition true:
1) Change b to "ccc" in 2 operations, then every letter in a is less than every letter in b.
2) Change a to "bbb" and b to "aaa" in 3 operations, then every letter in b is less than every letter in a.
3) Change a to "aaa" and b to "aaa" in 2 operations, then a and b consist of one distinct letter.
The best way was done in 2 operations (either condition 1 or condition 3).
Example 2:
Input: a = "dabadd", b = "cda"
Output: 3
Explanation: The best way is to make condition 1 true by changing b to "eee".
Solution