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advent-of-code/2016/puzzle-19-02.cc

59 lines
1.4 KiB
C++

//
// Created by Matthew Gretton-Dann on 07/12/2021.
//
#include <iostream>
#include <list>
#include <string>
/* Consider the case of 8 elves:
* Start: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
* 1 -> 5: 1 2 3 4 6 7 8
* 2 -> 6: 1 2 3 4 7 8
* 3 -> 8: 1 2 3 4 7
* 4 -> 1: 2 3 4 7
* 7 -> 3: 2 4 7
* 2 -> 4: 2 7
* 7 -> 2: 7
*
* Looking at this we can see that we start by removing the element half-way round the list. The
* next element removed is always either the one after the one just removed, or the one just beyond
* that.
*
* Which one is removed depends on whether there are an even or odd number of elements left.
*
* We make use of this to realize we don't have to track the current elf who is getting parcels
* only the elf that is having parcels stolen from them.
*/
auto main() -> int
{
std::string line;
if (!std::getline(std::cin, line)) {
std::cerr << "Unable to read input.\n";
return 1;
}
auto n{std::stoul(line)};
std::list<unsigned long> elves;
for (unsigned long i{1}; i <= n; ++i) {
elves.push_back(i);
}
/* it points to the first elf to remove. */
auto it{elves.begin()};
for (unsigned long i{0}; i < n / 2; ++i) {
++it;
}
while (n > 1) {
it = elves.erase(it);
if (it == elves.end()) {
it = elves.begin();
}
if ((--n) % 2 == 0) {
++it;
}
if (it == elves.end()) {
it = elves.begin();
}
}
std::cout << "Last elf: " << elves.front() << '\n';
}