Chocolate Problem Python

PROGRAM TO SOLVE CHOCOLATE DISTRIBUTION PROBLEM

Given an array of n integers where each value represents the number of chocolates in a packet. Each packet can have a variable number of chocolates. There are m students, the task is to distribute chocolate packets such that: 

1. Each student gets one packet.
2. The difference between the number of chocolates in the packet with maximum chocolates and packet with minimum chocolates given to the students is minimum.

import sys;

 

# arr[0..n-1] represents sizes of packets

# m is number of students.

# Returns minimum difference between maximum

# and minimum values of distribution.

def findMinDiff(arr, n, m):

 

    # if there are no chocolates or number

    # of students is 0

    if (m==0 or n==0):

        return 0

 

    # Sort the given packets

    arr.sort()

 

    # Number of students cannot be more than

    # number of packets

    if (n < m):

        return -1

 

    # Largest number of chocolates

    min_diff = sys.maxsize

 

    # Find the subarray of size m such that

    # difference between last (maximum in case

    # of sorted) and first (minimum in case of

    # sorted) elements of subarray is minimum.

    i=0

    while(i+m-1<n ):

     

        diff = arr[i+m-1] - arr[i]

        if (diff < min_diff):

            min_diff = diff

         

        i+=1

         

    return min_diff

 

# Driver Code

if __name__ == "__main__":

    arr = [12, 4, 7, 9, 2, 23, 25, 41,

          30, 40, 28, 42, 30, 44, 48,

          43, 50]

    m = 7 # Number of students

    n = len(arr)

    print("Minimum difference is", findMinDiff(arr, n, m))







OUTPUT

Minimum difference is 10

CREDITS: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/chocolate-distribution-problem/