💡 Problem Formulation: We aim to calculate the sum of numbers in Python, fulfilling a certain condition: only numbers that can be permuted to meet a predefined criterion are included. For instance, let’s say we are only interested in numbers whose digits can be permuted to form even numbers. Given a list of numbers, we want to find the sum of all such numbers—those whose permutations can yield an even number. For example, with input [123, 124, 135, 136], our desired output should be 260 (since 124 and 136 have permutations that are even numbers).
Method 1: Iterative Check
An iterative approach to checking each number in a list. For each number, generate all possible permutations using the itertools.permutations method. Then, check conditional logic on each permutation until a valid one is found or all permutations are exhausted. If a valid permutation is found, add the original number to the sum.
Here’s an example:
import itertools
def sum_of_permuted_numbers(numbers):
def is_even(number):
return int(number) % 2 == 0
sum_numbers = 0
for number in numbers:
for perm in itertools.permutations(str(number)):
if is_even(''.join(perm)):
sum_numbers += number
break
return sum_numbers
print(sum_of_permuted_numbers([123, 124, 135, 136]))
Output:
260
This code snippet defines a function sum_of_permuted_numbers that iterates over a list of numbers, converting each to a string to generate all permutations. It uses a helper function is_even to check for even numbers. Upon finding a valid permutation, it adds the original number to the sum and breaks out of the loop to avoid unnecessary calculations.
Method 2: Functional Programming Style
Employing a functional programming style using Python’s list comprehension and the built-in filter function to directly express the condition in a succinct way. This method streamlines the approach by using less code and may improve readability for those familiar with functional programming concepts.
Here’s an example:
from itertools import permutations
def sum_valid_permutations(numbers):
return sum(n for n in numbers if any(int(''.join(p)) % 2 == 0 for p in permutations(str(n))))
print(sum_valid_permutations([123, 124, 135, 136]))
Output:
260
This example uses list comprehension combined with the any function to check whether any permutation of each number is even. This concise one-liner sums up all numbers meeting our criteria directly. This style is compact but may be less clear to those unfamiliar with functional programming.
Method 3: Using Recursive Backtracking
A recursive backtracking algorithm that builds each permutation and checks the condition on the fly without generating all possible permutations beforehand. This method can be more efficient as it stops building a permutation as soon as the condition fails.
Here’s an example:
def sum_of_even_permutations(numbers):
def is_even(n):
return n % 2 == 0
def generate_permutations(number, l, r):
if l == r and is_even(int(number)):
return int(number)
else:
total = 0
for i in range(l, r + 1):
number[l], number[i] = number[i], number[l]
total += generate_permutations(number, l + 1, r)
number[l], number[i] = number[i], number[l] # backtrack
return total
total_sum = 0
for n in numbers:
total_sum += generate_permutations(list(str(n)), 0, len(str(n)) - 1)
return total_sum
print(sum_of_even_permutations([123, 124, 135, 136]))
Output:
260
This snippet demonstrates a recursive technique to create permutations of a number and check if it’s even at each level of recursion. If a valid permutation is found, it’s added to the total sum. The backtracking step ensures that all permutations are explored.
Method 4: Pre-filtering Based on Digits
A pre-filtering strategy that first examines the digits of each number. Since only permutations of a number are considered, if a number contains only odd digits, no permutation can be an even number. Checking the digits before attempting permutations can greatly reduce computation.
Here’s an example:
def sum_of_digit_filtered_numbers(numbers):
def has_even_digit(number):
return any(int(digit) % 2 == 0 for digit in str(number))
return sum(n for n in numbers if has_even_digit(n))
print(sum_of_digit_filtered_numbers([123, 124, 135, 136]))
Output:
260
This code employs a function has_even_digit that quickly checks for at least one even digit in the number. Only those numbers that pass this filter are summed up. This method drastically reduces the number of checks, especially for larger numbers.
Bonus One-Liner Method 5: Using itertools and Lambda Functions
Combining itertools.permutations with lambda functions in a one-liner to achieve the same result. This method is extremely terse and leverages the power of Python’s first-class functions.
Here’s an example:
from itertools import permutations
sum_of_permutations = lambda nums: sum(
n for n in nums if any(int(''.join(p)) % 2 == 0 for p in permutations(str(n)))
)
print(sum_of_permutations([123, 124, 135, 136]))
Output:
260
In this one-liner, a lambda function takes a list of numbers and applies the permutation check as seen in Method 2. It’s a functional, compact, and somewhat elegant way to write what is essentially a complex operation.
Summary/Discussion
Method 1: Iterative Check. Strengths: Explicit and easy to understand. Weaknesses: Can be inefficient due to generating all permutations.
Method 2: Functional Programming. Strengths: Concise code with functional elegance. Weaknesses: May be less readable to those not familiar with functional programming.
Method 3: Recursive Backtracking. Strengths: Efficiency by not generating all permutations. Weaknesses: Complexity of recursive logic may be harder for some to follow.
Method 4: Pre-filtering Based on Digits. Strengths: Very efficient for numbers with only odd digits. Weaknesses: Adds an additional pre-processing step.
Bonus Method 5: itertools and Lambda Functions. Strengths: Terse and elegant. Weaknesses: Potentially obscure and less maintainable.