1553. Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges LeetCode Solution
In this guide, you will get 1553. Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges LeetCode Solution with the best time and space complexity. The solution to Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges problem is provided in various programming languages like C++, Java, and Python. This will be helpful for you if you are preparing for placements, hackathons, interviews, or practice purposes. The solutions provided here are very easy to follow and include detailed explanations.
Table of Contents
- Problem Statement
- Complexity Analysis
- Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges solution in C++
- Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges solution in Java
- Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges solution in Python
- Additional Resources

Problem Statement of Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges
There are n oranges in the kitchen and you decided to eat some of these oranges every day as follows:
Eat one orange.
If the number of remaining oranges n is divisible by 2 then you can eat n / 2 oranges.
If the number of remaining oranges n is divisible by 3 then you can eat 2 * (n / 3) oranges.
You can only choose one of the actions per day.
Given the integer n, return the minimum number of days to eat n oranges.
Example 1:
Input: n = 10
Output: 4
Explanation: You have 10 oranges.
Day 1: Eat 1 orange, 10 – 1 = 9.
Day 2: Eat 6 oranges, 9 – 2*(9/3) = 9 – 6 = 3. (Since 9 is divisible by 3)
Day 3: Eat 2 oranges, 3 – 2*(3/3) = 3 – 2 = 1.
Day 4: Eat the last orange 1 – 1 = 0.
You need at least 4 days to eat the 10 oranges.
Example 2:
Input: n = 6
Output: 3
Explanation: You have 6 oranges.
Day 1: Eat 3 oranges, 6 – 6/2 = 6 – 3 = 3. (Since 6 is divisible by 2).
Day 2: Eat 2 oranges, 3 – 2*(3/3) = 3 – 2 = 1. (Since 3 is divisible by 3)
Day 3: Eat the last orange 1 – 1 = 0.
You need at least 3 days to eat the 6 oranges.
Constraints:
1 <= n <= 2 * 109
Complexity Analysis
- Time Complexity: O(\log^2 n)
- Space Complexity: O(\log^2 n)
1553. Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges LeetCode Solution in C++
class Solution {
public:
int minDays(int n) {
if (n <= 1)
return n;
if (const auto it = mem.find(n); it != mem.cend())
return it->second;
return mem[n] = 1 + min(minDays(n / 3) + n % 3, //
minDays(n / 2) + n % 2);
}
private:
unordered_map<int, int> mem;
};
/* code provided by PROGIEZ */
1553. Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges LeetCode Solution in Java
class Solution {
public int minDays(int n) {
if (n <= 1)
return n;
if (dp.containsKey(n))
return dp.get(n);
final int res = 1 + Math.min(minDays(n / 3) + n % 3, //
minDays(n / 2) + n % 2);
dp.put(n, res);
return res;
}
private Map<Integer, Integer> dp = new HashMap<>();
}
// code provided by PROGIEZ
1553. Minimum Number of Days to Eat N Oranges LeetCode Solution in Python
class Solution:
@functools.lru_cache(None)
def minDays(self, n: int) -> int:
if n <= 1:
return n
return 1 + min(self.minDays(n // 3) + n % 3,
self.minDays(n // 2) + n % 2)
# code by PROGIEZ
Additional Resources
- Explore all LeetCode problem solutions at Progiez here
- Explore all problems on LeetCode website here
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