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Algorithm problem

Sort01

Problem statement, definition, constraints, and public examples.

Problem Statement

You are given a String toSort containing only '0's and '1's. Using only exchange operations, we must sort this string so every '0' comes before every '1'. Return the minimal number of exchanges necessary.

Definition

Class:
Sort01
Method:
shortest
Parameters:
String
Returns:
int
Method signature:
int shortest(String toSort)
(be sure your method is public)

Notes

  • You can exchange any two characters in the string, not just adjacent ones.

Constraints

  • toSort will contain between 1 and 50 characters, inclusive.
  • Every character in toSort will be '0' (zero) or '1' (one).

Examples

  1. "010"
    Returns: 1
    The string can be sorted in one swap, exchanging the second and third characters.
  2. "1100"
    Returns: 2
  3. "00001"
    Returns: 0
  4. "10000"
    Returns: 1
  5. "1101010001"
    Returns: 3
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