LeetCode #485 — EASY

Max Consecutive Ones

Build confidence with an intuition-first walkthrough focused on array fundamentals.

The Problem

Problem Statement

Given a binary array nums, return the maximum number of consecutive 1's in the array.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [1,1,0,1,1,1]
Output: 3
Explanation: The first two digits or the last three digits are consecutive 1s. The maximum number of consecutive 1s is 3.

Example 2:

Input: nums = [1,0,1,1,0,1]
Output: 2

Constraints:

1 <= nums.length <= 10⁵
nums[i] is either 0 or 1.

Step 01

Brute Force Baseline

Problem summary: Given a binary array nums, return the maximum number of consecutive 1's in the array.

Baseline thinking

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

Pattern signal: Array

Example 1

[1,1,0,1,1,1]

Example 2

[1,0,1,1,0,1]

Core Insight

What unlocks the optimal approach

You need to think about two things as far as any window is concerned. One is the starting point for the window. How do you detect that a new window of 1s has started? The next part is detecting the ending point for this window. How do you detect the ending point for an existing window? If you figure these two things out, you will be able to detect the windows of consecutive ones. All that remains afterward is to find the longest such window and return the size.

Interview move: turn each hint into an invariant you can check after every iteration/recursion step.

Step 03

Algorithm Walkthrough

Iteration Checklist

Define state (indices, window, stack, map, DP cell, or recursion frame).
Apply one transition step and update the invariant.
Record answer candidate when condition is met.
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 #485: Max Consecutive Ones
class Solution {
    public int findMaxConsecutiveOnes(int[] nums) {
        int ans = 0, cnt = 0;
        for (int x : nums) {
            if (x == 1) {
                ans = Math.max(ans, ++cnt);
            } else {
                cnt = 0;
            }
        }
        return ans;
    }
}

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #485: Max Consecutive Ones
func findMaxConsecutiveOnes(nums []int) (ans int) {
	cnt := 0
	for _, x := range nums {
		if x == 1 {
			cnt++
			ans = max(ans, cnt)
		} else {
			cnt = 0
		}
	}
	return
}

# Accepted solution for LeetCode #485: Max Consecutive Ones
class Solution:
    def findMaxConsecutiveOnes(self, nums: List[int]) -> int:
        ans = cnt = 0
        for x in nums:
            if x:
                cnt += 1
                ans = max(ans, cnt)
            else:
                cnt = 0
        return ans

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #485: Max Consecutive Ones
impl Solution {
    pub fn find_max_consecutive_ones(nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        let mut ans = 0;
        let mut cnt = 0;

        for &x in nums.iter() {
            if x == 1 {
                cnt += 1;
                ans = ans.max(cnt);
            } else {
                cnt = 0;
            }
        }

        ans
    }
}

// Accepted solution for LeetCode #485: Max Consecutive Ones
function findMaxConsecutiveOnes(nums: number[]): number {
    let [ans, cnt] = [0, 0];
    for (const x of nums) {
        if (x) {
            ans = Math.max(ans, ++cnt);
        } else {
            cnt = 0;
        }
    }
    return ans;
}

Step 06

Interactive Study Demo

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

Custom checkpoints (one per line)

Press Step or Run All to begin.

Step 07

Complexity Analysis

Time

O(n)

Space

O(1)

Approach Breakdown

BRUTE FORCE

O(n²) time

O(1) space

Two nested loops check every pair or subarray. The outer loop fixes a starting point, the inner loop extends or searches. For n elements this gives up to n²/2 operations. No extra space, but the quadratic time is prohibitive for large inputs.

OPTIMIZED

O(n) time

O(1) space

Most array problems have an O(n²) brute force (nested loops) and an O(n) optimal (single pass with clever state tracking). The key is identifying what information to maintain as you scan: a running max, a prefix sum, a hash map of seen values, or two pointers.

Shortcut: If you are using nested loops on an array, there is almost always an O(n) solution. Look for the right auxiliary state.

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.