Is Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair easy or hard?

Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair is considered an easy problem because the core idea relies on a simple bit manipulation trick. Once you recognize that n & (n << 1) reveals adjacent set bits, verifying that there is exactly one pair becomes straightforward.

Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair Python/Java solution

In Python or Java, compute x = n & (n << 1) and verify that x has exactly one set bit using x != 0 and (x & (x - 1)) == 0. This works because consecutive ones produce a shared overlap after shifting, and the power-of-two check ensures only one pair exists.

How to solve Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair in O(1)?

Use the expression n & (n << 1) to detect consecutive set bits. This produces a number where each set bit represents a location of '11'. If the result contains exactly one set bit, there is exactly one consecutive pair. A power-of-two check (x & (x - 1)) == 0 confirms the single occurrence.

What is the best approach for Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

The most efficient approach uses a bit manipulation trick: compute x = n & (n << 1). This operation highlights positions where consecutive 1 bits occur. If x has exactly one set bit (x != 0 and (x & (x - 1)) == 0), then the number contains exactly one consecutive pair. The method runs in O(1) time and O(1) space.

Is Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair asked at Google/Amazon/Meta?

Bit manipulation questions like detecting consecutive set bits commonly appear in interviews at companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta. Variants often test familiarity with patterns like shifting, masking, and power-of-two checks.

What data structure is used in Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

No complex data structures are required. The optimal solution relies purely on bitwise operations such as AND and left shift. Some beginner implementations temporarily use strings to inspect binary digits, but efficient solutions operate directly on integers.

What is the time complexity of Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

The optimal bitwise solution runs in O(1) time because it performs a constant number of bit operations regardless of input size. Simpler approaches that iterate through bits or scan a binary string take O(b) time, where b is the number of bits in the integer.

Description Hints 1 Solution Video 6:40

3950. Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair

Q: Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair Python/Java solution

In Python or Java, compute x = n & (n << 1) and verify that x has exactly one set bit using x != 0 and (x & (x - 1)) == 0. This works because consecutive ones produce a shared overlap after shifting, and the power-of-two check ensures only one pair exists.

Q: How to solve Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair in O(1)?

Use the expression n & (n << 1) to detect consecutive set bits. This produces a number where each set bit represents a location of '11'. If the result contains exactly one set bit, there is exactly one consecutive pair. A power-of-two check (x & (x - 1)) == 0 confirms the single occurrence.

Q: What is the best approach for Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

The most efficient approach uses a bit manipulation trick: compute x = n & (n << 1). This operation highlights positions where consecutive 1 bits occur. If x has exactly one set bit (x != 0 and (x & (x - 1)) == 0), then the number contains exactly one consecutive pair. The method runs in O(1) time and O(1) space.

Q: Is Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair asked at Google/Amazon/Meta?

Bit manipulation questions like detecting consecutive set bits commonly appear in interviews at companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta. Variants often test familiarity with patterns like shifting, masking, and power-of-two checks.

Q: What data structure is used in Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

No complex data structures are required. The optimal solution relies purely on bitwise operations such as AND and left shift. Some beginner implementations temporarily use strings to inspect binary digits, but efficient solutions operate directly on integers.

Q: What is the time complexity of Exactly One Consecutive Set Bits Pair?

The optimal bitwise solution runs in O(1) time because it performs a constant number of bit operations regardless of input size. Simpler approaches that iterate through bits or scan a binary string take O(b) time, where b is the number of bits in the integer.

Easy50.4% acceptance

You are given an integer n.

Return true if its binary representation contains exactly one pair of consecutive set bits, and false otherwise.

Example 1:

Input: nums = 6

Output: true

Explanation:

Binary representation of 6 is 110.
There is exactly one pair of consecutive set bits ("11"). Thus, the answer is true.

Example 2:

Input: nums = 5

Output: false

Explanation:

Binary representation of 5 is 101.
There are no consecutive set bits. Thus, the answer is false.

Constraints:

0 <= n <= 10⁵

Topics

Bit Manipulation

Hints open one at a time

Hint 1

Do as told.

6:40

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1class Solution:
2    def consecutiveSetBits(self, n: int) -> bool:
3        

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