Single Iterable Arguments and Deque Initialization

A single iterable argument refers to an argument passed to a function (or constructor) that is itself an iterable, such as a list, tuple, set, or string. An iterable is any Python object capable of returning its members one at a time, allowing it to be iterated over in a loop. When initializing a deque, the constructor expects one argument that can be iterated over to populate the deque.

Here are some examples of single iterable arguments:

Examples of Single Iterable Arguments

1. List:

   from collections import deque
   
   iterable = [1, 2, 3]
   q = deque(iterable)
   print(q)  # Output: deque([1, 2, 3])
   

2. Tuple:

   from collections import deque
   
   iterable = (1, 2, 3)
   q = deque(iterable)
   print(q)  # Output: deque([1, 2, 3])
   

3. Set:

   from collections import deque
   
   iterable = {1, 2, 3}
   q = deque(iterable)
   print(q)  # Output: deque([1, 2, 3])
   

4. String:

   from collections import deque
   
   iterable = "123"
   q = deque(iterable)
   print(q)  # Output: deque(['1', '2', '3'])
   

Deque Initialization with Single Iterable Argument

When initializing a deque, you pass a single iterable containing the elements you want the deque to hold:

from collections import deque

# Correct usage: Single iterable argument
q = deque([1, 2, 3])  # List is an iterable
print(q)  # Output: deque([1, 2, 3])

q = deque((1, 2, 3))  # Tuple is an iterable
print(q)  # Output: deque([1, 2, 3])

# Incorrect usage: Multiple arguments instead of a single iterable
q = deque(1, 2, 3)  # Raises TypeError

Specific Case: deque([(1, 0)])

In the context of the BFS problem, we want to initialize the deque with a single element that is a tuple (1, 0). This tuple represents a node and its associated time.

from collections import deque

# Correct initialization with a single element that is a tuple
q = deque([(1, 0)])
print(q)  # Output: deque([(1, 0)])

This is different from:

# Incorrect initialization with multiple arguments
q = deque(1, 0)  # Raises TypeError because deque expects a single iterable

Summary

• Single Iterable Argument: An argument that is an iterable itself, such as a list, tuple, set, or string, which can be iterated over to provide elements to the deque.
• Correct Initialization: Ensure the deque is initialized with one iterable argument.
• Incorrect Initialization: Providing multiple arguments directly will raise a TypeError.

Here’s the BFS problem solution again with the correct deque initialization:

from collections import deque, defaultdict
from typing import List

class Solution:
    def secondMinimum(self, n: int, edges: List[List[int]], time: int, change: int) -> int:
        # Create the graph as an adjacency list
        graph = defaultdict(list)
        for u, v in edges:
            graph[u].append(v)
            graph[v].append(u)
        
        # Initialize the queue for BFS
        q = deque([(1, 0)])  # (node, current_time)
        
        # Initialize distances for the shortest and second shortest times
        dist1 = [-1] * (n + 1)
        dist2 = [-1] * (n + 1)
        dist1[1] = 0
        
        while q:
            node, current_time = q.popleft()
            
            # Calculate the next departure time based on the traffic signal
            if (current_time // change) % 2 == 1:
                next_time = (current_time // change + 1) * change + time
            else:
                next_time = current_time + time
            
            for neighbor in graph[node]:
                if dist1[neighbor] == -1:
                    dist1[neighbor] = next_time
                    q.append((neighbor, next_time))
                elif dist2[neighbor] == -1 and dist1[neighbor] != next_time:
                    dist2[neighbor] = next_time
                    q.append((neighbor, next_time))
                    if neighbor == n:
                        return next_time
                elif dist1[neighbor] != next_time and dist2[neighbor] != next_time:
                    if next_time < dist2[neighbor]:
                        dist2[neighbor] = next_time
                        q.append((neighbor, next_time))
                        if neighbor == n:
                            return next_time
        
        return 0

This solution uses the deque correctly with a single iterable argument, initializing it with one element that is a tuple (1, 0).