arranging-coins.py

# Time:  O(logn)
# Space: O(1)

# You have a total of n coins that you want to form in a staircase shape,
# where every k-th row must have exactly k coins.
#
# Given n, find the total number of full staircase rows that can be formed.
#
# n is a non-negative integer and fits within the range of a 32-bit signed integer.
#
# Example 1:
#
# n = 5
#
# The coins can form the following rows:
# ¤
# ¤ ¤
# ¤ ¤
#
# Because the 3rd row is incomplete, we return 2.
# Example 2:
#
# n = 8
#
# The coins can form the following rows:
# ¤
# ¤ ¤
# ¤ ¤ ¤
# ¤ ¤
#
# Because the 4th row is incomplete, we return 3.

class Solution(object):
    def arrangeCoins(self, n):
        """
        :type n: int
        :rtype: int
        """
        return int((math.sqrt(8*n+1)-1) / 2)  # sqrt is O(logn) time.


# Time:  O(logn)
# Space: O(1)
class Solution2(object):
    def arrangeCoins(self, n):
        """
        :type n: int
        :rtype: int
        """
        left, right = 1, n
        while left <= right:
            mid = left + (right - left) / 2
            if 2 * n < mid * (mid+1):
                right = mid - 1
            else:
                left = mid + 1
        return left - 1