Greedy Algorithms Questions Long
One example of a problem that can be solved using a greedy algorithm is the "Coin Change" problem.
In this problem, we are given a set of coins with different denominations and a target amount of money that we need to make change for. The goal is to find the minimum number of coins needed to make the change for the target amount.
The greedy approach for this problem involves repeatedly selecting the largest denomination coin that is less than or equal to the remaining amount, until the remaining amount becomes zero.
Here is the step-by-step process for solving the Coin Change problem using a greedy algorithm:
1. Sort the given set of coins in descending order based on their denominations.
2. Initialize a variable "count" to keep track of the number of coins used.
3. Start with the largest denomination coin and check if it is less than or equal to the remaining amount.
4. If it is, subtract the denomination of the coin from the remaining amount and increment the count by 1.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the remaining amount becomes zero.
6. If the remaining amount becomes zero, return the count as the minimum number of coins used.
7. If the remaining amount is not zero and there are no more coins left to consider, it means that it is not possible to make the exact change for the target amount.
For example, let's say we have the following set of coins: [1, 5, 10, 25] and the target amount is 36.
1. Sort the coins in descending order: [25, 10, 5, 1]
2. Initialize count = 0.
3. Start with the largest denomination coin, 25. Is 25 <= 36? Yes.
4. Subtract 25 from 36, remaining amount = 11. Increment count by 1, count = 1.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the next largest denomination coin, 10. Is 10 <= 11? Yes.
6. Subtract 10 from 11, remaining amount = 1. Increment count by 1, count = 2.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the next largest denomination coin, 5. Is 5 <= 1? No.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with the next largest denomination coin, 1. Is 1 <= 1? Yes.
9. Subtract 1 from 1, remaining amount = 0. Increment count by 1, count = 3.
10. The remaining amount is now zero, so the minimum number of coins used is 3.
Therefore, the greedy algorithm for the Coin Change problem gives us the minimum number of coins needed to make change for the target amount, which in this case is 3 coins.