Is Valid Boomerang easy or hard?

Valid Boomerang is classified as an Easy problem on LeetCode. The task requires recognizing that three points are collinear when their slopes match or the triangle area is zero. Once that observation is made, the implementation is straightforward.

Valid Boomerang Python/Java solution

In Python or Java, compute the cross multiplication condition: (y2 - y1) * (x3 - x1) != (y3 - y1) * (x2 - x1). If the expression is true, the points form a valid boomerang. The implementation is only a few lines and runs in constant time.

How to solve Valid Boomerang in O(n)?

An O(n) solution is unnecessary because the problem always has three points. The optimal approach directly compares slopes or computes the triangle area using constant arithmetic operations. Both methods achieve O(1) time and O(1) space complexity.

What is the best approach for Valid Boomerang?

The slope comparison approach using cross multiplication is the most common solution. It checks whether (y2 − y1) * (x3 − x1) equals (y3 − y1) * (x2 − x1). If the values differ, the points are not collinear and form a valid boomerang. The method runs in O(1) time and O(1) space.

Is Valid Boomerang asked at Google/Amazon/Meta?

Valid Boomerang represents a basic geometry and math reasoning problem sometimes used in screening rounds or coding practice sets. Similar collinearity or coordinate geometry questions appear in interviews at companies like Google, Amazon, and Meta, especially for entry‑level roles.

What data structure is used in Valid Boomerang?

The input is typically stored in a small array containing three coordinate pairs. The solution mainly relies on arithmetic operations and geometric reasoning rather than complex data structures.

What is the time complexity of Valid Boomerang?

Valid Boomerang runs in O(1) time because the input always contains exactly three points. The algorithm performs only a few arithmetic operations to compare slopes or compute triangle area. Space complexity is also O(1) since no additional data structures are required.

Description Hints 1 Solution Video 9:30

1037. Valid Boomerang

Easy40.5% acceptance2 companies

Given an array points where points[i] = [x_i, y_i] represents a point on the X-Y plane, return true if these points are a boomerang.

A boomerang is a set of three points that are all distinct and not in a straight line.

Example 1:

Input: points = [[1,1],[2,3],[3,2]]
Output: true

Example 2:

Input: points = [[1,1],[2,2],[3,3]]
Output: false

Constraints:

points.length == 3
points[i].length == 2
0 <= x_i, y_i <= 100

Asked at 2 companies

Google Microsoft

Topics

Hints open one at a time

Hint 1

3 points form a boomerang if and only if the triangle formed from them has non-zero area.

9:30

Still stuck?Read 3 approaches, or watch a walkthrough.

Open solution

LanguageLoading editor…

1class Solution:
2    def isBoomerang(self, points: List[List[int]]) -> bool:
3        

Starter codePython 3Spaces: 4

Examples

Case 1Case 2

Input

[[1,1],[2,3],[3,2]]

Input

[[1,1],[2,2],[3,3]]

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