LeetCode #2233 — MEDIUM

Maximum Product After K Increments

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

Solve on LeetCode
The Problem

Problem Statement

You are given an array of non-negative integers nums and an integer k. In one operation, you may choose any element from nums and increment it by 1.

Return the maximum product of nums after at most k operations. Since the answer may be very large, return it modulo 109 + 7. Note that you should maximize the product before taking the modulo. 

Example 1:

Input: nums = [0,4], k = 5
Output: 20
Explanation: Increment the first number 5 times.
Now nums = [5, 4], with a product of 5 * 4 = 20.
It can be shown that 20 is maximum product possible, so we return 20.
Note that there may be other ways to increment nums to have the maximum product.

Example 2:

Input: nums = [6,3,3,2], k = 2
Output: 216
Explanation: Increment the second number 1 time and increment the fourth number 1 time.
Now nums = [6, 4, 3, 3], with a product of 6 * 4 * 3 * 3 = 216.
It can be shown that 216 is maximum product possible, so we return 216.
Note that there may be other ways to increment nums to have the maximum product.

Constraints:

  • 1 <= nums.length, k <= 105
  • 0 <= nums[i] <= 106
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 array of non-negative integers nums and an integer k. In one operation, you may choose any element from nums and increment it by 1. Return the maximum product of nums after at most k operations. Since the answer may be very large, return it modulo 109 + 7. Note that you should maximize the product before taking the modulo.

Baseline thinking

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

Pattern signal: Array · Greedy

Example 1

[0,4]
5

Example 2

[6,3,3,2]
2

Related Problems

  • Minimum Size Subarray Sum (minimum-size-subarray-sum)
  • Minimum Increment to Make Array Unique (minimum-increment-to-make-array-unique)
  • Minimum Operations to Make the Array Increasing (minimum-operations-to-make-the-array-increasing)
Step 02

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

  • If you can increment only once, which number should you increment?
  • We should always prioritize the smallest number. What kind of data structure could we use?
  • Use a min heap to hold all the numbers. Each time we do an operation, replace the top of the heap x by x + 1.
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 #2233: Maximum Product After K Increments
class Solution {
    public int maximumProduct(int[] nums, int k) {
        PriorityQueue<Integer> pq = new PriorityQueue<>();
        for (int x : nums) {
            pq.offer(x);
        }
        while (k-- > 0) {
            pq.offer(pq.poll() + 1);
        }
        final int mod = (int) 1e9 + 7;
        long ans = 1;
        for (int x : pq) {
            ans = (ans * x) % mod;
        }
        return (int) 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(k × log n)
Space
O(n)

Approach Breakdown

EXHAUSTIVE
O(2ⁿ) time
O(n) space

Try every possible combination of choices. With n items each having two states (include/exclude), the search space is 2ⁿ. Evaluating each combination takes O(n), giving O(n × 2ⁿ). The recursion stack or subset storage uses O(n) space.

GREEDY
O(n log n) time
O(1) space

Greedy algorithms typically sort the input (O(n log n)) then make a single pass (O(n)). The sort dominates. If the input is already sorted or the greedy choice can be computed without sorting, time drops to O(n). Proving greedy correctness (exchange argument) is harder than the implementation.

Shortcut: Sort + single pass → O(n log n). If no sort needed → O(n). The hard part is proving it works.
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.

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.