Is Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II easy or hard?

Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II is classified as a Medium problem. The implementation is simple once you know the median property, but recognizing that the median minimizes total absolute distance is the main conceptual challenge.

Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II Python/Java solution

In Python or Java, the common implementation sorts the array, selects the middle element as the median, and sums absolute differences between each element and the median. This approach runs in O(n log n) time and requires only constant extra space beyond the array.

How to solve Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II in O(n)?

An O(n) solution is possible using a linear-time median selection algorithm such as Quickselect. First find the median without sorting the entire array, then compute the sum of absolute differences from that median in a single pass. The overall complexity becomes O(n) average time with O(1) extra space.

What is the best approach for Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II?

The optimal strategy is to move all elements toward the median of the array. The median minimizes the sum of absolute differences, which directly represents the number of moves required. After sorting the array, compute the median and sum abs(nums[i] - median) for every element. The time complexity is O(n log n) due to sorting.

Is Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II asked at Google/Amazon/Meta?

This problem appears in interview preparation sets used by companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta because it tests understanding of medians, absolute distance minimization, and array manipulation. Candidates are often expected to recognize the median property quickly.

What data structure is used in Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II?

The problem mainly uses arrays along with sorting or selection algorithms. Some implementations rely on two pointers after sorting the array, while others use Quickselect to find the median without fully sorting.

What is the time complexity of Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II?

The typical solution runs in O(n log n) time because the array must be sorted to determine the median. After sorting, calculating the total moves requires a single O(n) traversal. Space complexity is O(1) if sorting is done in place.

Description Solution Video 9:30

462. Minimum Moves to Equal Array Elements II

Medium62.2% acceptance5 companies

Given an integer array nums of size n, return the minimum number of moves required to make all array elements equal.

In one move, you can increment or decrement an element of the array by 1.

Test cases are designed so that the answer will fit in a 32-bit integer.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [1,2,3]
Output: 2
Explanation:
Only two moves are needed (remember each move increments or decrements one element):
[1,2,3]  =>  [2,2,3]  =>  [2,2,2]

Example 2: