Minimizing numbers through subtraction operations

Given two numbers given as P and Q, the task is to make both numbers equal in the minimum number of operations, where you are allowed to perform the below operations any number of times:

If P > Q, replace P with P − Q;
If Q < P, replace Q with Q − P.

Examples:

Input: P = 100001, Q = 100001
Output: 0
Explanation: P and Q are equal so no steps are required.

Input: P = 10, Q = 18
Output: 5
Explanation: Initially, P=10 and Q=18. You repeat the operation as follows:

P < Q, so replace Q with Q − P = 8, making P = 10 and Q = 8.
Q < A, so replace P with P − Q = 2, making P = 2 and Q = 8.
Q > P, so replace Q with Q − P = 6, making P = 2 and Q = 6.
Q > P, so replace Q with Q − P = 4, making P = 2 and Q = 4.
Q > P, so replace Q with Q − P = 2, making P = 2 and Q = 2
Thus, you repeat it five times.

Approach: This can be solved with the following idea:

When Q > P, it means Q/P number of steps would be performed in order to make it equal and vice versa.

Below is the implementation of the above approach:

C++14

// C++ code of the above approach
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

// Minimum Steps required to make both
// number equal
void minimumSteps(long long P, long long Q)
{

    // Intialize ans = 0;
    long long number_of_steps = 0;

    // Already equal
    if (P == Q) {
        cout << 0 << endl;
        return;
    }

    // If not
    while (P != 0 && Q != 0) {

        // P is greater than Q
        if (P > Q) {
            number_of_steps += P / Q;
            P = P % Q;
        }

        // Q is greater than P
        else if (Q > P) {
            number_of_steps += Q / P;
            Q = Q % P;
        }
    }

    cout << number_of_steps - 1 << endl;
}

// Driver code
int main()
{

    long long P, Q;
    P = 10;
    Q = 18;

    // Function call
    minimumSteps(P, Q);

    return 0;
}

Java

// Java code of the above approach
import java.util.*;

public class GFG {
    // Function to calculate minimum steps to make two
    // numbers equal
    public static void minimumSteps(long P, long Q)
    {
        long number_of_steps = 0;

        // If both numbers are already equal, no steps
        // needed
        if (P == Q) {
            System.out.println(0);
            return;
        }

        // Continue until one of the numbers becomes 0
        while (P != 0 && Q != 0) {
            // If P is greater than Q
            if (P > Q) {
                // Calculate how many times Q can be
                // subtracted from P
                number_of_steps += P / Q;
                // Update P to the remainder after
                // subtraction
                P = P % Q;
            }
            // If Q is greater than P
            else if (Q > P) {
                // Calculate how many times P can be
                // subtracted from Q
                number_of_steps += Q / P;
                // Update Q to the remainder after
                // subtraction
                Q = Q % P;
            }
        }

        // Subtract 1 from the total steps to account for
        // the final step
        System.out.println(number_of_steps - 1);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        long P, Q;
        P = 10;
        Q = 18;

        // Function call
        minimumSteps(P, Q);
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli

Python3

# Python code of the above approach
def minimumSteps(P, Q):
    # Initialize number_of_steps = 0
    number_of_steps = 0

    # Already equal
    if P == Q:
        print(0)
        return

    # If not equal
    while P != 0 and Q != 0:
        # P is greater than Q
        if P > Q:
            number_of_steps += P // Q
            P = P % Q

        # Q is greater than P
        elif Q > P:
            number_of_steps += Q // P
            Q = Q % P

    print(number_of_steps - 1)

# Driver code
if __name__ == '__main__':
    P = 10
    Q = 18

    # Function call
    minimumSteps(P, Q)

// C# code of the above approach
using System;

public class GFG {
    // Minimum Steps required to make both number equal
    static void MinimumSteps(long P, long Q)
    {
        // Initialize number_of_steps = 0;
        long number_of_steps = 0;

        // Already equal
        if (P == Q) {
            Console.WriteLine(0);
            return;
        }

        // If not
        while (P != 0 && Q != 0) {
            // P is greater than Q
            if (P > Q) {
                number_of_steps += P / Q;
                P = P % Q;
            }

            // Q is greater than P
            else if (Q > P) {
                number_of_steps += Q / P;
                Q = Q % P;
            }
        }

        Console.WriteLine(number_of_steps - 1);
    }

    // Driver code
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        long P, Q;
        P = 10;
        Q = 18;

        // Function call
        MinimumSteps(P, Q);
    }
}

// This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli

JavaScript

<script>
// JavaScript code of the above approach

// Minimum Steps required to make both
// number equal
function minimumSteps(P, Q) {
    // Intialize ans = 0;
    let number_of_steps = 0;

    // Already equal
    if (P == Q) {
        document.write(0);
        return;
    }

    // If not
    while (P != 0 && Q != 0) {
        // P is greater than Q
        if (P > Q) {
            number_of_steps += Math.floor(P / Q);
            P = P % Q;
        }
        // Q is greater than P
        else if (Q > P) {
            number_of_steps += Math.floor(Q / P);
            Q = Q % P;
        }
    }

    document.write(number_of_steps - 1);
}

// Driver code
let P, Q;
P = 10;
Q = 18;

// Function call
minimumSteps(P, Q);

// This code is contributed by Susobhan Akhuli
</script>

Output

Time Complexity: O(Log N)
Auxiliary Space: O(1)

Minimizing numbers through subtraction operations

Explore