1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution

In this guide, you will get 1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution with the best time and space complexity. The solution to Minimum Distance to the Target Element 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.

Problem Statement
Complexity Analysis
Minimum Distance to the Target Element solution in C++
Minimum Distance to the Target Element solution in Java
Minimum Distance to the Target Element solution in Python
Additional Resources

1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution image

Problem Statement of Minimum Distance to the Target Element

Given an integer array nums (0-indexed) and two integers target and start, find an index i such that nums[i] == target and abs(i – start) is minimized. Note that abs(x) is the absolute value of x.
Return abs(i – start).
It is guaranteed that target exists in nums.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [1,2,3,4,5], target = 5, start = 3
Output: 1
Explanation: nums[4] = 5 is the only value equal to target, so the answer is abs(4 – 3) = 1.

Example 2:

Input: nums = [1], target = 1, start = 0
Output: 0
Explanation: nums[0] = 1 is the only value equal to target, so the answer is abs(0 – 0) = 0.

Example 3:

Input: nums = [1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1], target = 1, start = 0
Output: 0
Explanation: Every value of nums is 1, but nums[0] minimizes abs(i – start), which is abs(0 – 0) = 0.

Constraints:

1 <= nums.length <= 1000
1 <= nums[i] <= 104
0 <= start < nums.length
target is in nums.

Complexity Analysis

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)

1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution in C++

class Solution {
 public:
  int getMinDistance(vector<int>& nums, int target, int start) {
    int ans = INT_MAX;

    for (int i = 0; i < nums.size(); ++i)
      if (nums[i] == target)
        ans = min(ans, abs(i - start));

    return ans;
  }
};
/* code provided by PROGIEZ */

1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution in Java

class Solution {
  public int getMinDistance(int[] nums, int target, int start) {
    int ans = Integer.MAX_VALUE;

    for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; ++i)
      if (nums[i] == target)
        ans = Math.min(ans, Math.abs(i - start));

    return ans;
  }
}
// code provided by PROGIEZ

1848. Minimum Distance to the Target Element LeetCode Solution in Python

class Solution:
  def getMinDistance(self, nums: list[int], target: int, start: int) -> int:
    ans = math.inf

    for i, num in enumerate(nums):
      if num == target:
        ans = min(ans, abs(i - start))

    return ans
 # code by PROGIEZ