Binary Digit Score Python solution?

In Python, the shortest approach is bin(n).count('1'), which converts the number to a binary string and counts the ones. For a no-string solution, loop while n is nonzero, add n & 1 to a counter, then apply n >>= 1. Both run in O(log n) time.

Is Binary Digit Score easy or hard?

Binary Digit Score is an easy problem with a 76.4% acceptance rate on FleetCode. The main challenge is knowing the bit manipulation operations, not the logic. Once you know shift or Kernighan's trick, the implementation takes only a few lines.

How to solve Binary Digit Score in O(n)?

Treat each number as a bit pattern and count set bits with a loop. Use while n is nonzero, add n & 1 to the count, then shift n right by one. The total work is proportional to the number of binary digits, which is the practical bound for this problem.

What is the best approach for Binary Digit Score?

The best approach is bit manipulation, either Brian Kernighan's trick with n & (n - 1) or a shift and mask loop. Both avoid string conversion and use O(1) extra space. For production code, the built-in popcount function is the cleanest option.

What data structure is used in Binary Digit Score?

No dedicated data structure is required. The solution uses integer bit operations such as AND, shift, and subtraction, plus a single counter variable. If you choose the string approach, you also create a temporary string of binary characters.

What is the time complexity of Binary Digit Score?

The shift loop runs in O(log n) time because it processes each binary digit once. Kernighan's trick runs in O(k) time, where k is the number of 1 bits, so it is faster for sparse inputs. Both use O(1) extra space, while the string approach uses O(log n) space.

Is Binary Digit Score asked at Google, Amazon, or Meta?

This problem is tagged General on FleetCode and is not listed as a frequently reported question at a specific company. It is best treated as a warm-up for bit manipulation fundamentals, which appear often in interviews at large tech companies.

Description Solution Video 11:06

4092. Binary Digit Score

Easy76.4% acceptance

You are given two integers a and b.

Let s1 and s2 be the number of set bits in the binary representations of a and b, respectively.

The score of these integers is defined as follows:

If s1 >= s2, the score is s1 * s2.
Otherwise, the score is s2 / s1 using integer division.

Return an integer representing the score of a and b.

A set bit refers to a bit in the binary representation of a number that has a value of 1.

Example 1:

Input: a = 14, b = 6

Output: 6

Explanation:

The binary representation of a = 14 is "1110", so s1 = 3.
The binary representation of b = 6 is "110", so s2 = 2.
Since s1 > s2, the score of a and b is s1 * s2 = 3 * 2 = 6.

Example 2:

Input: a = 5, b = 15

Output: 2

Explanation:

The binary representation of a = 5 is "101", so s1 = 2.
The binary representation of b = 15 is "1111", so s2 = 4.
Since s1 < s2, the score of a and b is s2 / s1 = 4 / 2 = 2.

Example 3:

Input: a = 10, b = 12

Output: 4

Explanation:

The binary representation of a = 10 is "1010", so s1 = 2.
The binary representation of b = 12 is "1100", so s2 = 2.
Since s1 == s2, the score of a and b is s1 * s2 = 2 * 2 = 4.

Constraints:

1 <= a, b <= 100

11:06

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1class Solution:
2    def calculateScore(self, a: int, b: int) -> int:
3        

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Examples

Case 1Case 2Case 3

Input

14
6

Input

5
15

Input

10
12

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