LeetCode #2090 — MEDIUM

K Radius Subarray Averages

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

Solve on LeetCode
The Problem

Problem Statement

You are given a 0-indexed array nums of n integers, and an integer k.

The k-radius average for a subarray of nums centered at some index i with the radius k is the average of all elements in nums between the indices i - k and i + k (inclusive). If there are less than k elements before or after the index i, then the k-radius average is -1.

Build and return an array avgs of length n where avgs[i] is the k-radius average for the subarray centered at index i.

The average of x elements is the sum of the x elements divided by x, using integer division. The integer division truncates toward zero, which means losing its fractional part.

  • For example, the average of four elements 2, 3, 1, and 5 is (2 + 3 + 1 + 5) / 4 = 11 / 4 = 2.75, which truncates to 2.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [7,4,3,9,1,8,5,2,6], k = 3
Output: [-1,-1,-1,5,4,4,-1,-1,-1]
Explanation:
- avg[0], avg[1], and avg[2] are -1 because there are less than k elements before each index.
- The sum of the subarray centered at index 3 with radius 3 is: 7 + 4 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 8 + 5 = 37.
  Using integer division, avg[3] = 37 / 7 = 5.
- For the subarray centered at index 4, avg[4] = (4 + 3 + 9 + 1 + 8 + 5 + 2) / 7 = 4.
- For the subarray centered at index 5, avg[5] = (3 + 9 + 1 + 8 + 5 + 2 + 6) / 7 = 4.
- avg[6], avg[7], and avg[8] are -1 because there are less than k elements after each index.

Example 2:

Input: nums = [100000], k = 0
Output: [100000]
Explanation:
- The sum of the subarray centered at index 0 with radius 0 is: 100000.
  avg[0] = 100000 / 1 = 100000.

Example 3:

Input: nums = [8], k = 100000
Output: [-1]
Explanation: 
- avg[0] is -1 because there are less than k elements before and after index 0.

Constraints:

  • n == nums.length
  • 1 <= n <= 105
  • 0 <= nums[i], k <= 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 a 0-indexed array nums of n integers, and an integer k. The k-radius average for a subarray of nums centered at some index i with the radius k is the average of all elements in nums between the indices i - k and i + k (inclusive). If there are less than k elements before or after the index i, then the k-radius average is -1. Build and return an array avgs of length n where avgs[i] is the k-radius average for the subarray centered at index i. The average of x elements is the sum of the x elements divided by x, using integer division. The integer division truncates toward zero, which means losing its fractional part. For example, the average of four elements 2, 3, 1, and 5 is (2 + 3 + 1 + 5) / 4 = 11 / 4 = 2.75, which truncates to 2.

Baseline thinking

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

Pattern signal: Array · Sliding Window

Example 1

[7,4,3,9,1,8,5,2,6]
3

Example 2

[100000]
0

Example 3

[8]
100000

Related Problems

  • Minimum Size Subarray Sum (minimum-size-subarray-sum)
  • Moving Average from Data Stream (moving-average-from-data-stream)
  • Subarray Sum Equals K (subarray-sum-equals-k)
  • Maximum Average Subarray I (maximum-average-subarray-i)
  • Number of Sub-arrays of Size K and Average Greater than or Equal to Threshold (number-of-sub-arrays-of-size-k-and-average-greater-than-or-equal-to-threshold)
Step 02

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

  • To calculate the average of a subarray, you need the sum and the K. K is already given. How could you quickly calculate the sum of a subarray?
  • Use the Prefix Sums method to calculate the subarray sums.
  • It is possible that the sum of all the elements does not fit in a 32-bit integer type. Be sure to use a 64-bit integer type for the prefix sum array.
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 #2090: K Radius Subarray Averages
class Solution {
    public int[] getAverages(int[] nums, int k) {
        int n = nums.length;
        int[] ans = new int[n];
        Arrays.fill(ans, -1);
        long s = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) {
            s += nums[i];
            if (i >= k * 2) {
                ans[i - k] = (int) (s / (k * 2 + 1));
                s -= nums[i - k * 2];
            }
        }
        return ans;
    }
}
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(n)
Space
O(k)

Approach Breakdown

BRUTE FORCE
O(n × k) time
O(1) space

For each starting index, scan the next k elements to compute the window aggregate. There are n−k+1 starting positions, each requiring O(k) work, giving O(n × k) total. No extra space since we recompute from scratch each time.

SLIDING WINDOW
O(n) time
O(k) space

The window expands and contracts as we scan left to right. Each element enters the window at most once and leaves at most once, giving 2n total operations = O(n). Space depends on what we track inside the window (a hash map of at most k distinct elements, or O(1) for a fixed-size window).

Shortcut: Each element enters and exits the window once → O(n) amortized, regardless of window size.
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.

Shrinking the window only once

Wrong move: Using `if` instead of `while` leaves the window invalid for multiple iterations.

Usually fails on: Over-limit windows stay invalid and produce wrong lengths/counts.

Fix: Shrink in a `while` loop until the invariant is valid again.