heaters.py

# Time:  O((m + n) * logn), m is the number of the houses, n is the number of the heaters.
# Space: O(1)

# Winter is coming! Your first job during the contest is to
# design a standard heater with fixed warm radius to warm all the houses.
#
# Now, you are given positions of houses and heaters on a horizontal line,
# find out minimum radius of heaters so that all houses could be covered by those heaters.
#
# So, your input will be the positions of houses and heaters seperately,
# and your expected output will be the minimum radius standard of heaters.
#
# Note:
# Numbers of houses and heaters you are given are non-negative and will not exceed 25000.
# Positions of houses and heaters you are given are non-negative and will not exceed 10^9.
# As long as a house is in the heaters' warm radius range, it can be warmed.
# All the heaters follow your radius standard and the warm radius will the same.
# Example 1:
# Input: [1,2,3],[2]
# Output: 1
# Explanation: The only heater was placed in the position 2, and if we use the radius 1 standard,
# then all the houses can be warmed.
# Example 2:
# Input: [1,2,3,4],[1,4]
# Output: 1
# Explanation: The two heater was placed in the position 1 and 4. We need to use radius 1 standard,
# then all the houses can be warmed.

class Solution(object):
    def findRadius(self, houses, heaters):
        """
        :type houses: List[int]
        :type heaters: List[int]
        :rtype: int
        """
        heaters.sort()
        min_radius = 0
        for house in houses:
        	equal_or_larger = bisect.bisect_left(heaters, house)
        	curr_radius = float("inf")
        	if equal_or_larger != len(heaters):
        	    curr_radius = heaters[equal_or_larger] - house
        	if equal_or_larger != 0:
        	    smaller = equal_or_larger-1
        	    curr_radius = min(curr_radius, house - heaters[smaller])
        	min_radius = max(min_radius, curr_radius)
        return min_radius