TopcoderArchive
TCO24 Feb 2009
TCO09 Semifinal

PerfectPowers

Problem statement, definition, constraints, and public examples.

Problem Statement

A number is called a perfect power if it can be written in the form m^k, where m and k are positive integers, and k > 1.
Given two positive integers A and B, find the two perfect powers between A and B, inclusive, that are closest to each other, and return the absolute difference between them. If less than two perfect powers exist in the interval, return -1 instead.

Definition

Class:
PerfectPowers
Method:
nearestCouple
Parameters:
long, long
Returns:
long
Method signature:
long nearestCouple(long A, long B)
(be sure your method is public)

Notes

  • 1 is a perfect power.

Constraints

  • A will be between 1 and 10^18, inclusive.
  • B will be between A+1 and 10^18, inclusive.

Examples

  1. 1
    4
    Returns: 3
    1 and 4 are the first pair of perfect powers.
  2. 8
    9
    Returns: 1
    8 and 9 are the closest pair of perfect powers.
  3. 10
    15
    Returns: -1
    No pair of perfect powers is present in the interval.
  4. 1
    1000000000000000000
    Returns: 1
    This is the largest possible range, and 8 and 9 are the closest pair of perfect powers.
  5. 80000
    90000
    Returns: 80
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