1.
"Dynamic Programming for Minimum Combination Problems"
Other alternatives include:
"Minimizing Combinations Using Dynamic Programming"
"Subset Sum and Minimum Count Optimization Pattern"
"Dynamic Programming Approach to Sum and Combination Problems"
"Minimizing Elements for Target Sum with Dynamic Programming"
To find the minimum number of prime numbers (from the first m primes) that sum up to n, you can
approach this problem by using dynamic programming. The idea is similar to the "minimum coins
problem," where you try to make a certain value using the least number of coins.
Approach:
1. Generate the first m prime numbers.
2. Apply dynamic programming to calculate the minimum number of prime numbers needed
to sum up to n.
Steps:
1. Generate the first m prime numbers using a prime-sieve algorithm.
2. Use dynamic programming to find the minimum number of primes that sum up to n.
Dynamic Programming Formula:
Let dp[i] represent the minimum number of primes needed to sum up to i. Initialize dp[0] = 0
because no primes are needed to sum to zero. For each prime p, update the values of dp[j] for j >=
p as:
dp[j]=min(dp[j],dp[j−p]+1)dp[j] = \min(dp[j], dp[j - p] + 1)dp[j]=min(dp[j],dp[j−p]+1)
This approach ensures that you try all combinations of primes.
Code
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
public class MinPrimesSum {
// Function to generate the first 'm' prime numbers
public static ArrayList<Integer> generatePrimes(int m) {
ArrayList<Integer> primes = new ArrayList<>();
int num = 2; // Starting from the smallest prime number
while (primes.size() < m) {
boolean isPrime = true;
// Check if the current number is prime
for (int prime : primes) {
if (num % prime == 0) {
isPrime = false;
break;
if (isPrime) {
primes.add(num);
num++;
return primes;
// Function to find the minimum number of primes that sum up to 'n'
public static int minPrimesSum(int n, int m) {
ArrayList<Integer> primes = generatePrimes(m);
// Initialize the dp array
int[] dp = new int[n + 1];
Arrays.fill(dp, Integer.MAX_VALUE);
dp[0] = 0; // No primes are needed to sum to 0
// Dynamic programming to find the minimum primes
for (int prime : primes) {
for (int j = prime; j <= n; j++) {
if (dp[j - prime] != Integer.MAX_VALUE) {
dp[j] = Math.min(dp[j], dp[j - prime] + 1);
// If dp[n] is still Integer.MAX_VALUE, it means we can't make 'n' using these primes
return dp[n] == Integer.MAX_VALUE ? -1 : dp[n];
public static void main(String[] args) {
int n = 10; // Target sum
int m = 4; // First 'm' primes
int result = minPrimesSum(n, m);
System.out.println("Minimum number of primes to sum up to " + n + " is: " + result);
1. Coin Change Problem
Problem: Given an amount n and a set of coins, find the minimum number of coins required
to make up the amount.
Approach: Use dynamic programming where you iterate over the coins and update the
minimum number of coins required for each amount.
2. Subset Sum Problem
Problem: Given a set of non-negative integers and a sum n, determine if there is a subset
whose sum is equal to n.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to determine whether any combination of elements in
the set can sum up to the target n.
3. Minimum Number of Squares
Problem: Find the minimum number of perfect squares (like 1, 4, 9, 16, etc.) that sum up to a
given number n.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to find the least number of perfect squares that add
up to n.
4. Integer Partition Problem
Problem: Given a number n, find the minimum number of positive integers that sum up to n.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to find how n can be partitioned into the smallest
number of integers.
5. Minimum Jumps to Reach End
Problem: Given an array of integers where each element represents the maximum number
of steps that can be taken from that position, find the minimum number of jumps to reach
the last element.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to track the minimum number of jumps required to
reach each index.
6. Knapsack Problem (Unbounded)
Problem: Given weights and values of items, determine the maximum value that can be
obtained in a knapsack of capacity W where you can use an unlimited number of each item.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to maximize the value while considering combinations
of items.
7. Rod Cutting Problem
Problem: Given a rod of length n and a table of prices for each length, determine the
maximum revenue obtainable by cutting the rod and selling the pieces.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to find the optimal way to cut the rod for the
maximum price.
8. Ways to Make Change
Problem: Given a target amount n and a set of coins, find how many different ways you can
make change for n using the coins.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to count the number of ways to combine coins to
reach the target amount.
9. Word Break Problem
Problem: Given a string and a dictionary of words, determine if the string can be segmented
into a space-separated sequence of dictionary words.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to check if the string can be broken into valid words
from the dictionary.
10. Target Sum Problem (LeetCode 494)
Problem: Given a list of non-negative integers and a target S, find the number of ways to
assign + or - signs to make the sum equal to S.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to track possible sums and count how many ways the
target can be reached.
11. Count of Subset Sum Problem
Problem: Given a set of non-negative integers, count the number of subsets that sum up to a
given number n.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to count all the subsets whose sum equals the target.
12. Minimum Number of Coins for Exact Change
Problem: Given a target amount and an infinite supply of coins, determine the minimum
number of coins required to make the exact change.
Approach: Similar to the coin change problem, dynamic programming is used to track the
minimum number of coins needed for each amount.
13. Partition Equal Subset Sum
Problem: Determine if a given set can be partitioned into two subsets such that the sum of
elements in both subsets is the same.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to check if there exists a subset whose sum is equal to
half of the total sum.
14. Combination Sum IV
Problem: Given an array of integers and a target n, find the number of possible combinations
of the integers that add up to the target.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to find all possible combinations of elements in the
array that sum to n.
15. Find the Minimum Number of Fibonacci Numbers Whose Sum is n
Problem: Given a number n, find the minimum number of Fibonacci numbers that sum up to
n.
Approach: Use dynamic programming or greedy methods to find the minimum number of
Fibonacci numbers needed.
16. Climbing Stairs with Minimum Cost
Problem: Given an array of costs, where each element represents the cost to step on that
stair, find the minimum cost to reach the top of the stairs.
Approach: Use dynamic programming to calculate the minimum cost to reach each step and
find the minimum cost to reach the last step.
Common Dynamic Programming Pattern:
These problems share the common pattern of using a combination of smaller subproblems
to reach a solution. The key idea is to use dynamic programming to either minimize or
maximize some value (e.g., minimum number of items, maximum value obtainable) by
storing intermediate results and building the solution step by step.
