LeetCode #2188 — HARD

Minimum Time to Finish the Race

Break down a hard problem into reliable checkpoints, edge-case handling, and complexity trade-offs.

Solve on LeetCode
The Problem

Problem Statement

You are given a 0-indexed 2D integer array tires where tires[i] = [fi, ri] indicates that the ith tire can finish its xth successive lap in fi * ri(x-1) seconds.

  • For example, if fi = 3 and ri = 2, then the tire would finish its 1st lap in 3 seconds, its 2nd lap in 3 * 2 = 6 seconds, its 3rd lap in 3 * 22 = 12 seconds, etc.

You are also given an integer changeTime and an integer numLaps.

The race consists of numLaps laps and you may start the race with any tire. You have an unlimited supply of each tire and after every lap, you may change to any given tire (including the current tire type) if you wait changeTime seconds.

Return the minimum time to finish the race.

Example 1:

Input: tires = [[2,3],[3,4]], changeTime = 5, numLaps = 4
Output: 21
Explanation: 
Lap 1: Start with tire 0 and finish the lap in 2 seconds.
Lap 2: Continue with tire 0 and finish the lap in 2 * 3 = 6 seconds.
Lap 3: Change tires to a new tire 0 for 5 seconds and then finish the lap in another 2 seconds.
Lap 4: Continue with tire 0 and finish the lap in 2 * 3 = 6 seconds.
Total time = 2 + 6 + 5 + 2 + 6 = 21 seconds.
The minimum time to complete the race is 21 seconds.

Example 2:

Input: tires = [[1,10],[2,2],[3,4]], changeTime = 6, numLaps = 5
Output: 25
Explanation: 
Lap 1: Start with tire 1 and finish the lap in 2 seconds.
Lap 2: Continue with tire 1 and finish the lap in 2 * 2 = 4 seconds.
Lap 3: Change tires to a new tire 1 for 6 seconds and then finish the lap in another 2 seconds.
Lap 4: Continue with tire 1 and finish the lap in 2 * 2 = 4 seconds.
Lap 5: Change tires to tire 0 for 6 seconds then finish the lap in another 1 second.
Total time = 2 + 4 + 6 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 1 = 25 seconds.
The minimum time to complete the race is 25 seconds. 

Constraints:

  • 1 <= tires.length <= 105
  • tires[i].length == 2
  • 1 <= fi, changeTime <= 105
  • 2 <= ri <= 105
  • 1 <= numLaps <= 1000
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 2D integer array tires where tires[i] = [fi, ri] indicates that the ith tire can finish its xth successive lap in fi * ri(x-1) seconds. For example, if fi = 3 and ri = 2, then the tire would finish its 1st lap in 3 seconds, its 2nd lap in 3 * 2 = 6 seconds, its 3rd lap in 3 * 22 = 12 seconds, etc. You are also given an integer changeTime and an integer numLaps. The race consists of numLaps laps and you may start the race with any tire. You have an unlimited supply of each tire and after every lap, you may change to any given tire (including the current tire type) if you wait changeTime seconds. Return the minimum time to finish the race.

Baseline thinking

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

Pattern signal: Array · Dynamic Programming

Example 1

[[2,3],[3,4]]
5
4

Example 2

[[1,10],[2,2],[3,4]]
6
5

Related Problems

  • Minimum Skips to Arrive at Meeting On Time (minimum-skips-to-arrive-at-meeting-on-time)
Step 02

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

  • What is the maximum number of times we would want to go around the track without changing tires?
  • Can we precompute the minimum time to go around the track x times without changing tires?
  • Can we use dynamic programming to solve this efficiently using the precomputed values?
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
Largest constraint values
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 #2188: Minimum Time to Finish the Race
class Solution {
    public int minimumFinishTime(int[][] tires, int changeTime, int numLaps) {
        final int inf = 1 << 30;
        int[] cost = new int[18];
        Arrays.fill(cost, inf);
        for (int[] e : tires) {
            int f = e[0], r = e[1];
            int s = 0, t = f;
            for (int i = 1; t <= changeTime + f; ++i) {
                s += t;
                cost[i] = Math.min(cost[i], s);
                t *= r;
            }
        }
        int[] f = new int[numLaps + 1];
        Arrays.fill(f, inf);
        f[0] = -changeTime;
        for (int i = 1; i <= numLaps; ++i) {
            for (int j = 1; j < Math.min(18, i + 1); ++j) {
                f[i] = Math.min(f[i], f[i - j] + cost[j]);
            }
            f[i] += changeTime;
        }
        return f[numLaps];
    }
}
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 × m)
Space
O(n × m)

Approach Breakdown

RECURSIVE
O(2ⁿ) time
O(n) space

Pure recursion explores every possible choice at each step. With two choices per state (take or skip), the decision tree has 2ⁿ leaves. The recursion stack uses O(n) space. Many subproblems are recomputed exponentially many times.

DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING
O(n × m) time
O(n × m) space

Each cell in the DP table is computed exactly once from previously solved subproblems. The table dimensions determine both time and space. Look for the state variables — each unique combination of state values is one cell. Often a rolling array can reduce space by one dimension.

Shortcut: Count your DP state dimensions → that’s your time. Can you drop one? That’s your space optimization.
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.

State misses one required dimension

Wrong move: An incomplete state merges distinct subproblems and caches incorrect answers.

Usually fails on: Correctness breaks on cases that differ only in hidden state.

Fix: Define state so each unique subproblem maps to one DP cell.