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Medium / PYTHON

Two Sum with a Deterministic Pair

arrays · hash_maps 18 minute study target

Not completed

Challenge

Return indices [i, j] with i < j and nums[i] + nums[j] = target. Several pairs may work: choose the pair with the smallest j, and then the smallest i for that j. Return [] if no pair exists. A single element cannot be used twice.

Input and output contract

0 ≤ n ≤ 60,000; nums values and target are integers with absolute value ≤ 1,000,000. Indices are zero-based.

All tests follow this contract. You do not need to validate malformed input. Return the requested result from two_sum; printed output is not your answer. Standard-library tools are allowed. Implement your solution in Python 3.12.

Target complexity: O(n) expected time; O(n) auxiliary space

Return values are checked by type. Use the exact function name. Print output is not your answer. Tests have time and memory limits.

Public examples

Example 1

Arguments

[[3, 3, 4, 2], 6]

Expected return

[0, 1]
Example 2

Arguments

[[1, 2, 3], 10]

Expected return

[]
Example 3

Arguments

[[1, 1, 3], 4]

Expected return

[0, 2]
Hint

Scan j from left to right. Store the earliest index of every value already seen, and check before inserting nums[j].

The worked solution unlocks after completion, or with Premium access.

two_sum.pyPython 3.12

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Results

Your results will appear here.

Hidden tests reveal only their pass/fail status, never their inputs or expected outputs. Runtime is observed wall time—not an inferred complexity class.

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