Given two arrays of integers, write a code to check if one is permutation (arranging the same numbers differently) of elements present in the other. For example, the below two arrays are permutations of each other:

    int a[5] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
    int b[5] = {2, 1, 4, 5, 3};


Solution-1: Use multiplication and addition

If mul1 is equal to mul2 and sum1 is equal to sum2, then the two arrays are permutations of each other else, they are not.

Code:

bool checkPermutation1(int* a, int m, int* b, int n)
{
    // If two are not of same size then not permutation.
    if(m != n){ return false; }
    if(a==NULL && b==NULL){ return true; }
    int mul1 = 1;
    int mul2 = 1;
    int sum1 = 0;
    int sum2 = 0;
    for(int i=0; i<m; i++){
        mul1 *= a[i];
        mul2 *= b[i];
        sum1 += a[i];
        sum2 += b[i];
    }
    if(mul1 == mul2 && sum1 == sum2)
        return true;
    else
        return false;
}

But multiplication or addition may result in overflow (or underflow) of integers if numbers are large.
Solution-2: Using Sorting

If two arrays are permutations of each other then the sorted order of these two arrays will be exactly same:

Sort both the arrays, if after sorting the two arrays are exactly same, then they are permutations of each other, else not:

bool checkPermutation2(int* a, int m, int* b, int n)
{
    // If two are not of same size then not permutation.
    if(m != n){ return false; }
    if(a==NULL && b==NULL){ return true; }
    quickSort(a, m);
    quickSort(a, n);
    for(int i=0; i<m; i++){
        if(a[i] != b[j]){
            return false;
        }
    }
    return true;
}

Solution-3: Using Hashing

First create the harsh using the first array, then iterate the second array, and for each element of the array, remove it from the hash. If after the second array traversal, the hash becomes empty it means that both are permutations of each other.

Time Complexities

10 Responses

  1. Good Article Kamal!
    Another way to solve this –
    1. create XOR of elements of first set. Let the XOR value is S.
    2. read element of second set one by one and XOR with S i.e. S=S XOR element of second array.
    3. if set 1 is same as set 2 , S will become zero otherwise not.
    complexity O(n)

  2. Yeah! right if the array has duplicate elements than it will not work. I thought array has unique elements i.e. set not dups.

  3. Solution 2 will not work if a entry is 0 for ex 0,1,2,4 on multiplication give 0 and on adding will give 7 and if we have other array as 0,2,2,3 sum is 7 and product is also 0

  4. Comparing the sum and products of the elements does not work. Suppose a = [1, 9, 10] and b = [2, 3, 15].
    PRODUCT [1, 9, 10] == 90
    PRODUCT [2, 3, 15] == 90
    SUM[2, 3, 15] == 20
    SUM [1, 9, 10] == 20
    [1, 9, 10] is NOT a permutation of [2, 3, 15]

  5. As a variation of solution-1:
    Can sum of values and sum of squares be a good way of comparing instead of comparing the products and sums?
    sum_of_squares1 = sum_of_squares2
    AND
    sum1 = sum2

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