Unique Strings with Odd and Even Swapping Allowed

Introduction:

In string manipulation, discovering unique strings amidst a sea of possibilities can be both challenging and rewarding. In this tutorial, we embark on a journey to unravel the secrets of identifying unique strings, armed with the power of swapping characters at odd and even indices. Join us as we delve into the depths of Python programming to conquer this intriguing problem.

Understanding the Problem:

Imagine being presented with an array of strings, each holding its own distinct arrangement of characters. Our task is to sift through this array and unearth the number of unique strings it conceals. But here’s the catch – we’re granted the ability to swap characters at odd and even indices, allowing for a myriad of transformations. Our mission is to leverage this power to discern the true uniqueness of each string.

Crafting a Solution:

To navigate through this challenge, we devise a cunning plan:

1. Traverse through each string in the array.
2. Create representations for each string by sorting the characters at odd and even indices separately.
3. Store these representations in a set to eliminate duplicates.
4. Count the number of unique representations, which corresponds to the number of unique strings in the array.

Implementation in Python:

def count_unique_strings(strings):
    unique_representations = set()

    for string in strings:
        odd_chars = ''.join(string[i] for i in range(len(string)) if i % 2 != 0)
        even_chars = ''.join(string[i] for i in range(len(string)) if i % 2 == 0)
        representation = (tuple(sorted(odd_chars)), tuple(sorted(even_chars)))
        unique_representations.add(representation)

    return len(unique_representations)

# Example usage:
strings = ["abcd", "cbad", "bdac", "adcb"]
print(count_unique_strings(strings))  # Output: 2

Explanation:

• We define a function count_unique_strings to analyze the array of strings.
• For each string, we separate the characters at odd and even indices and sort them to create representations.
• These representations are stored in a set to ensure uniqueness.
• Finally, we return the count of unique representations, indicating the number of unique strings in the array.

Conclusion:

By harnessing the power of swapping characters at odd and even indices, we’ve unlocked the secrets of identifying unique strings within an array. Armed with Python programming techniques, we’ve traversed through the complexities of string manipulation, emerging victorious in our quest.