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Minimum Cost All-Active Switches

Thinking Mode

Summary

  • •Phase 4 / greedy/flipping/min_cost
  • •Reasoning-first competitive programming drill

Problem Description

A line of N bulbs, each can be on (1) or off (0). In one move, you pick an interval [L,R] and flip all bulbs in it. Each flip has a cost equal to the length of the interval. Find the minimal total cost to turn all bulbs on. How to read this problem in plain language: - This is a Phase 4 reasoning drill focused on greedy/flipping/minc​ost. - Typical lenses to test first: greedy, flipping, array. - Constraints reminder: 1 ≤ N≤2∗105 Mini examples for mental simulation: 1) Boundary example: Describe why this case is tricky. Explain expected behavior and why naive logic may fail. 2) Adversarial example: Adversarial case where naive greedy/local decision looks correct but fails globally. Lite-mode writing target: - Write 1~2 observations that shrink the search space. - Name one final algorithm and state target complexity explicitly. - Validate with at least 2 edge cases and one hand simulation.

Constraints

  • •
    1 ≤ N≤2∗105

Analysis

Key Insight

Use this hint to refine your reasoning. This step should reduce search space or formalize correctness. State why this insight changes your algorithm choice.

greedyflippingarray
greedyflippingarray