Solution: Kth Smallest Number in M Sorted Lists
Explore how to solve the problem of finding the kth smallest number from multiple sorted lists by using the k-way merge technique. Understand the optimized approach using a min heap, analyze its time and space complexity, and learn step-by-step how this method efficiently processes sorted lists. This lesson helps you implement a solution that leverages heap operations to merge lists without fully sorting all elements.
Statement
Given a list, lists, containing k, find the
Even if some values appear multiple times across the lists, each occurrence is treated as a unique element when determining the
If k exceeds the total number of elements across all lists, return the largest element among them. If the lists are empty, return 0.
Constraints:
-
lists[i].length -
lists[i][j]