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LeetCode solutions

1794. Minimize Deviation in Array

My accepted Python solution to LeetCode problem 1794, Minimize Deviation in Array, running in 1038ms.

  • Difficulty: Hard
  • Python
  • Runtime 1038ms
  • Memory 24.6MB

Read the problem on LeetCode View on GitHub

The problem statement is LeetCode’s and stays on their site. What follows is my accepted solution.

Python

Accepted on LeetCode — runtime 1038ms, memory 24.6MB, accepted 2026-01-01.

python
class Solution:
    def minimumDeviation(self, nums: List[int]) -> int:
        import heapq
        
        # First, multiply all odd numbers by 2 to make them even
        # This way, we can only decrease numbers (divide by 2)
        # Use max heap (negate values for min heap)
        heap = []
        min_val = float('inf')
        
        for num in nums:
            if num % 2 == 1:
                num *= 2
            heapq.heappush(heap, -num)
            min_val = min(min_val, num)
        
        result = -heap[0] - min_val
        
        # Keep dividing the maximum element by 2 if it's even
        while heap[0] % 2 == 0:  # heap[0] is negative, so check if even
            max_val = -heapq.heappop(heap)
            max_val //= 2
            min_val = min(min_val, max_val)
            heapq.heappush(heap, -max_val)
            result = min(result, -heap[0] - min_val)
        
        return result

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