LeetCode #2064 — MEDIUM

Minimized Maximum of Products Distributed to Any Store

Move from brute-force thinking to an efficient approach using array strategy.

Solve on LeetCode
The Problem

Problem Statement

You are given an integer n indicating there are n specialty retail stores. There are m product types of varying amounts, which are given as a 0-indexed integer array quantities, where quantities[i] represents the number of products of the ith product type.

You need to distribute all products to the retail stores following these rules:

  • A store can only be given at most one product type but can be given any amount of it.
  • After distribution, each store will have been given some number of products (possibly 0). Let x represent the maximum number of products given to any store. You want x to be as small as possible, i.e., you want to minimize the maximum number of products that are given to any store.

Return the minimum possible x.

Example 1:

Input: n = 6, quantities = [11,6]
Output: 3
Explanation: One optimal way is:
- The 11 products of type 0 are distributed to the first four stores in these amounts: 2, 3, 3, 3
- The 6 products of type 1 are distributed to the other two stores in these amounts: 3, 3
The maximum number of products given to any store is max(2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3) = 3.

Example 2:

Input: n = 7, quantities = [15,10,10]
Output: 5
Explanation: One optimal way is:
- The 15 products of type 0 are distributed to the first three stores in these amounts: 5, 5, 5
- The 10 products of type 1 are distributed to the next two stores in these amounts: 5, 5
- The 10 products of type 2 are distributed to the last two stores in these amounts: 5, 5
The maximum number of products given to any store is max(5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5) = 5.

Example 3:

Input: n = 1, quantities = [100000]
Output: 100000
Explanation: The only optimal way is:
- The 100000 products of type 0 are distributed to the only store.
The maximum number of products given to any store is max(100000) = 100000.

Constraints:

  • m == quantities.length
  • 1 <= m <= n <= 105
  • 1 <= quantities[i] <= 105
Patterns Used

Roadmap

  1. Brute Force Baseline
  2. Core Insight
  3. Algorithm Walkthrough
  4. Edge Cases
  5. Full Annotated Code
  6. Interactive Study Demo
  7. Complexity Analysis
Step 01

Brute Force Baseline

Problem summary: You are given an integer n indicating there are n specialty retail stores. There are m product types of varying amounts, which are given as a 0-indexed integer array quantities, where quantities[i] represents the number of products of the ith product type. You need to distribute all products to the retail stores following these rules: A store can only be given at most one product type but can be given any amount of it. After distribution, each store will have been given some number of products (possibly 0). Let x represent the maximum number of products given to any store. You want x to be as small as possible, i.e., you want to minimize the maximum number of products that are given to any store. Return the minimum possible x.

Baseline thinking

Start with the most direct exhaustive search. That gives a correctness anchor before optimizing.

Pattern signal: Array · Binary Search · Greedy

Example 1

6
[11,6]

Example 2

7
[15,10,10]

Example 3

1
[100000]

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Step 02

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

  • There exists a monotonic nature such that when x is smaller than some number, there will be no way to distribute, and when x is not smaller than that number, there will always be a way to distribute.
  • If you are given a number k, where the number of products given to any store does not exceed k, could you determine if all products can be distributed?
  • Implement a function canDistribute(k), which returns true if you can distribute all products such that any store will not be given more than k products, and returns false if you cannot. Use this function to binary search for the smallest possible k.
Interview move: turn each hint into an invariant you can check after every iteration/recursion step.
Step 03

Algorithm Walkthrough

Iteration Checklist

  1. Define state (indices, window, stack, map, DP cell, or recursion frame).
  2. Apply one transition step and update the invariant.
  3. Record answer candidate when condition is met.
  4. Continue until all input is consumed.
Use the first example testcase as your mental trace to verify each transition.
Step 04

Edge Cases

Minimum Input
Single element / shortest valid input
Validate boundary behavior before entering the main loop or recursion.
Duplicates & Repeats
Repeated values / repeated states
Decide whether duplicates should be merged, skipped, or counted explicitly.
Extreme Constraints
Upper-end input sizes
Re-check complexity target against constraints to avoid time-limit issues.
Invalid / Corner Shape
Empty collections, zeros, or disconnected structures
Handle special-case structure before the core algorithm path.
Step 05

Full Annotated Code

Source-backed implementations are provided below for direct study and interview prep.

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #2064: Minimized Maximum of Products Distributed to Any Store
class Solution {
    public int minimizedMaximum(int n, int[] quantities) {
        int left = 1, right = (int) 1e5;
        while (left < right) {
            int mid = (left + right) >> 1;
            int cnt = 0;
            for (int v : quantities) {
                cnt += (v + mid - 1) / mid;
            }
            if (cnt <= n) {
                right = mid;
            } else {
                left = mid + 1;
            }
        }
        return left;
    }
}
Step 06

Interactive Study Demo

Use this to step through a reusable interview workflow for this problem.

Press Step or Run All to begin.
Step 07

Complexity Analysis

Time
O(log n)
Space
O(1)

Approach Breakdown

LINEAR SCAN
O(n) time
O(1) space

Check every element from left to right until we find the target or exhaust the array. Each comparison is O(1), and we may visit all n elements, giving O(n). No extra space needed.

BINARY SEARCH
O(log n) time
O(1) space

Each comparison eliminates half the remaining search space. After k comparisons, the space is n/2ᵏ. We stop when the space is 1, so k = log₂ n. No extra memory needed — just two pointers (lo, hi).

Shortcut: Halving the input each step → O(log n). Works on any monotonic condition, not just sorted arrays.
Coach Notes

Common Mistakes

Review these before coding to avoid predictable interview regressions.

Off-by-one on range boundaries

Wrong move: Loop endpoints miss first/last candidate.

Usually fails on: Fails on minimal arrays and exact-boundary answers.

Fix: Re-derive loops from inclusive/exclusive ranges before coding.

Boundary update without `+1` / `-1`

Wrong move: Setting `lo = mid` or `hi = mid` can stall and create an infinite loop.

Usually fails on: Two-element ranges never converge.

Fix: Use `lo = mid + 1` or `hi = mid - 1` where appropriate.

Using greedy without proof

Wrong move: Locally optimal choices may fail globally.

Usually fails on: Counterexamples appear on crafted input orderings.

Fix: Verify with exchange argument or monotonic objective before committing.