Count minimum cost in array
Last updated: November 6, 2025
Quick Overview
Given an array of integers, calculate the minimum cost to transform the array into a target array where the cost is defined as the sum of absolute differences between each element in the original array and the corresponding element in the target array. The function should take the original array and the target array as inputs and return the minimum cost as an integer.
Citadel
November 6, 202550
14
4,023 solved
Given an array of integers, calculate the minimum cost to transform the array into a target array where the cost is defined as the sum of absolute differences between each element in the original array and the corresponding element in the target array. The function should take the original array and the target array as inputs and return the minimum cost as an integer.
Coding interviews at Citadel focus on problem-solving approach as much as the final solution. The interviewer wants to see you break down the problem, consider edge cases, and optimize iteratively. Communication throughout the process is key.
What the Interviewer Expects
- Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
- Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
- Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
- Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
- Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
- Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
Key Topics to Cover
How to Approach This
- Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
- Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
- Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
- Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
- Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
- How would you test this solution thoroughly?
- What if the input doesn't fit in memory?
- Can you solve this in a single pass?
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Practice DSA ProblemsSample Answer
Problem Analysis
The problem at hand involves transforming an array of integers into a target array with the minimum cost calculated as the sum of absolute differences between the elements of the original and target a...
Approach
- We initialize a variable
min_costto zero. - We iterate through both the
originalandtargetarrays using a loop. - For each index
i, we compute the absolute difference between `origina...
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