41. First Missing Positive - Explanation

Description

You are given an unsorted integer array nums. Return the smallest positive integer that is not present in nums.

You must implement an algorithm that runs in O(n) time and uses O(1) auxiliary space.

Example 1:

Input: nums = [-2,-1,0]

Output: 1

Example 2:

Input: nums = [1,2,4]

Output: 3

Example 3:

Input: nums = [1,2,4,5,6,3,1]

Output: 7

Constraints:

1 <= nums.length <= 100,000
-(2^31) <= nums[i] <= ((2^31)-1)

Topics

Array Hash Table

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Prerequisites

Before attempting this problem, you should be comfortable with:

In-Place Array Modification - Using the input array itself as auxiliary storage to achieve O(1) space
Cycle Sort - Placing elements at their "correct" indices through swapping
Index Mapping - Understanding that value v should be at index v-1 for positive integers
Negative Marking Technique - Using the sign of array elements as boolean flags

1. Brute Force

Intuition

The simplest way to find the first missing positive is to just check each positive integer one by one.
We start with 1, scan the entire array looking for it, and if we find it, move on to 2, then 3, and so on.
The first number we can't find in the array is our answer.

This works because we're guaranteed the answer exists somewhere between 1 and n + 1 (where n is the array size). In the worst case, if the array contains exactly [1, 2, 3, ..., n], the answer would be n + 1.

Algorithm

Start with missing = 1.
Search the entire array for missing.
If found, increment missing and repeat.
If not found, return missing.

class Solution:
    def firstMissingPositive(self, nums: List[int]) -> int:
        missing = 1
        while True:
            flag = True
            for num in nums:
                if missing == num:
                    flag = False
                    break

            if flag:
                return missing
            missing += 1

public class Solution {
    public int firstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int missing = 1;
        while (true) {
            boolean flag = true;
            for (int num : nums) {
                if (missing == num) {
                    flag = false;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (flag) return missing;
            missing++;
        }
    }
}

class Solution {
public:
    int firstMissingPositive(vector<int>& nums) {
        int missing = 1;
        while (true) {
            bool flag = true;
            for (int& num : nums) {
                if (missing == num) {
                    flag = false;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (flag) return missing;
            missing++;
        }
    }
};

class Solution {
    /**
     * @param {number[]} nums
     * @return {number}
     */
    firstMissingPositive(nums) {
        let missing = 1;
        while (true) {
            let flag = true;
            for (let num of nums) {
                if (missing === num) {
                    flag = false;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if (flag) return missing;
            missing++;
        }
    }
}

public class Solution {
    public int FirstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int missing = 1;

        while (true) {
            bool found = false;

            foreach (int num in nums) {
                if (num == missing) {
                    found = true;
                    break;
                }
            }

            if (!found) {
                return missing;
            }

            missing++;
        }
    }
}

func firstMissingPositive(nums []int) int {
    missing := 1
    for {
        flag := true
        for _, num := range nums {
            if missing == num {
                flag = false
                break
            }
        }
        if flag {
            return missing
        }
        missing++
    }
}

class Solution {
    fun firstMissingPositive(nums: IntArray): Int {
        var missing = 1
        while (true) {
            var flag = true
            for (num in nums) {
                if (missing == num) {
                    flag = false
                    break
                }
            }
            if (flag) return missing
            missing++
        }
    }
}

class Solution {
    func firstMissingPositive(_ nums: [Int]) -> Int {
        var missing = 1
        while true {
            var flag = true
            for num in nums {
                if missing == num {
                    flag = false
                    break
                }
            }
            if flag {
                return missing
            }
            missing += 1
        }
    }
}

impl Solution {
    pub fn first_missing_positive(nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        let mut missing = 1;
        loop {
            let mut flag = true;
            for &num in &nums {
                if missing == num {
                    flag = false;
                    break;
                }
            }
            if flag {
                return missing;
            }
            missing += 1;
        }
    }
}

Time & Space Complexity

Time complexity: $O(n ^ 2)$
Space complexity: $O(1)$

2. Boolean Array

Intuition

Here's a key observation: if the array has n elements, the answer must be in the range [1, n + 1].
Why? Because even if the array contains n distinct positive integers, they can at most cover 1 through n, making n + 1 the answer.

So we only care about numbers from 1 to n. We can create a boolean array of size n where seen[i] tells us whether i + 1 exists in the input. Then we just find the first index that's still false.

Algorithm

Create a boolean array seen of size n, initialized to false.
For each number in the input:
- If it's between 1 and n, mark seen[num - 1] = true.
Scan seen from index 0 to n - 1:
- Return i + 1 for the first false entry.
If all entries are true, return n + 1.

class Solution:
    def firstMissingPositive(self, nums: list[int]) -> int:
        n = len(nums)
        seen = [False] * n
        for num in nums:
            if num > 0 and num <= n:
                seen[num - 1] = True

        for num in range(1, n + 1):
            if not seen[num - 1]:
                return num

        return n + 1

public class Solution {
    public int firstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.length;
        boolean[] seen = new boolean[n];

        for (int num : nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num <= n) {
                seen[num - 1] = true;
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (!seen[i]) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

class Solution {
public:
    int firstMissingPositive(vector<int>& nums) {
        int n = nums.size();
        vector<bool> seen(n, false);

        for (int num : nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num <= n) {
                seen[num - 1] = true;
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (!seen[i]) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
};

class Solution {
    /**
     * @param {number[]} nums
     * @return {number}
     */
    firstMissingPositive(nums) {
        const n = nums.length;
        const seen = new Array(n).fill(false);

        for (const num of nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num <= n) {
                seen[num - 1] = true;
            }
        }

        for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (!seen[i]) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

public class Solution {
    public int FirstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.Length;
        bool[] seen = new bool[n];

        foreach (int num in nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num <= n) {
                seen[num - 1] = true;
            }
        }

        for (int num = 1; num <= n; num++) {
            if (!seen[num - 1]) {
                return num;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

func firstMissingPositive(nums []int) int {
    n := len(nums)
    seen := make([]bool, n)

    for _, num := range nums {
        if num > 0 && num <= n {
            seen[num-1] = true
        }
    }

    for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
        if !seen[i] {
            return i + 1
        }
    }

    return n + 1
}

class Solution {
    fun firstMissingPositive(nums: IntArray): Int {
        val n = nums.size
        val seen = BooleanArray(n)

        for (num in nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num <= n) {
                seen[num - 1] = true
            }
        }

        for (i in 0 until n) {
            if (!seen[i]) {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

class Solution {
    func firstMissingPositive(_ nums: [Int]) -> Int {
        let n = nums.count
        var seen = [Bool](repeating: false, count: n)

        for num in nums {
            if num > 0 && num <= n {
                seen[num - 1] = true
            }
        }

        for i in 0..<n {
            if !seen[i] {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

impl Solution {
    pub fn first_missing_positive(nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        let n = nums.len();
        let mut seen = vec![false; n];

        for &num in &nums {
            if num > 0 && (num as usize) <= n {
                seen[num as usize - 1] = true;
            }
        }

        for i in 0..n {
            if !seen[i] {
                return (i + 1) as i32;
            }
        }

        (n + 1) as i32
    }
}

Time & Space Complexity

Time complexity: $O(n)$
Space complexity: $O(n)$

3. Sorting

Intuition

If the array is sorted, finding the first missing positive becomes straightforward.
We walk through the sorted array while tracking the smallest positive integer we're looking for.
Whenever we see that number, we increment our target. The first target we don't find is the answer.

We skip negative numbers and zeros since they don't affect our search. Duplicates are also handled naturally since we only increment when we find an exact match.

Algorithm

Sort the array.
Initialize missing = 1.
For each number in the sorted array:
- If num is positive and equals missing, increment missing.
Return missing.

class Solution:
    def firstMissingPositive(self, nums: list[int]) -> int:
        nums.sort()
        missing = 1
        for num in nums:
            if num > 0 and missing == num:
                missing += 1
        return missing

public class Solution {
    public int firstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        Arrays.sort(nums);
        int missing = 1;
        for (int num : nums) {
            if (num > 0 && missing == num) {
                missing++;
            }
        }
        return missing;
    }
}

class Solution {
public:
    int firstMissingPositive(vector<int>& nums) {
        sort(nums.begin(), nums.end());
        int missing = 1;
        for (int num : nums) {
            if (num > 0 && missing == num) {
                missing++;
            }
        }
        return missing;
    }
};

class Solution {
    /**
     * @param {number[]} nums
     * @return {number}
     */
    firstMissingPositive(nums) {
        nums.sort((a, b) => a - b);
        let missing = 1;
        for (const num of nums) {
            if (num > 0 && missing === num) {
                missing++;
            }
        }
        return missing;
    }
}

public class Solution {
    public int FirstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        Array.Sort(nums);
        int missing = 1;

        foreach (int num in nums) {
            if (num > 0 && num == missing) {
                missing++;
            }
        }

        return missing;
    }
}

func firstMissingPositive(nums []int) int {
    sort.Ints(nums)
    missing := 1
    for _, num := range nums {
        if num > 0 && missing == num {
            missing++
        }
    }
    return missing
}

class Solution {
    fun firstMissingPositive(nums: IntArray): Int {
        nums.sort()
        var missing = 1
        for (num in nums) {
            if (num > 0 && missing == num) {
                missing++
            }
        }
        return missing
    }
}

class Solution {
    func firstMissingPositive(_ nums: [Int]) -> Int {
        let sorted = nums.sorted()
        var missing = 1
        for num in sorted {
            if num > 0 && missing == num {
                missing += 1
            }
        }
        return missing
    }
}

impl Solution {
    pub fn first_missing_positive(mut nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        nums.sort();
        let mut missing = 1;
        for &num in &nums {
            if num > 0 && missing == num {
                missing += 1;
            }
        }
        missing
    }
}

Time & Space Complexity

Time complexity: $O(n \log n)$
Space complexity: $O(1)$ or $O(n)$ depending on the sorting algorithm.

4. Negative Marking

Intuition

Can we achieve O(1) space without sorting? Yes, by using the input array itself as our hash map.

The idea is to use the sign of each element as a flag. If the value at index i is negative, it means i + 1 exists in the array. But there's a catch: the array might already contain negative numbers or zeros, which would interfere with our marking scheme.

So we first convert all non-positive numbers to 0. Then for each value v in the range [1, n], we mark the element at index v - 1 as negative. If it's already 0, we use a special marker -(n + 1) to indicate presence while keeping it distinguishable.

Finally, the first non-negative index tells us which number is missing.

Algorithm

Replace all negative numbers with 0.
For each number val (using absolute value to handle already-marked cells):
- If 1 <= val <= n:
  - If nums[val - 1] > 0, negate it.
  - If nums[val - 1] == 0, set it to -(n + 1).
Find the first index where nums[i] >= 0 and return i + 1.
If no such index exists, return n + 1.

class Solution:
    def firstMissingPositive(self, nums: list[int]) -> int:
        for i in range(len(nums)):
            if nums[i] < 0:
                nums[i] = 0

        for i in range(len(nums)):
            val = abs(nums[i])
            if 1 <= val <= len(nums):
                if nums[val - 1] > 0:
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1
                elif nums[val - 1] == 0:
                    nums[val - 1] = -1 * (len(nums) + 1)

        for i in range(1, len(nums) + 1):
            if nums[i - 1] >= 0:
                return i

        return len(nums) + 1

public class Solution {
    public int firstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.length;

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] < 0) {
                nums[i] = 0;
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            int val = Math.abs(nums[i]);
            if (val >= 1 && val <= n) {
                if (nums[val - 1] > 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1;
                } else if (nums[val - 1] == 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] = -1 * (n + 1);
                }
            }
        }

        for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
            if (nums[i - 1] >= 0) {
                return i;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

class Solution {
public:
    int firstMissingPositive(vector<int>& nums) {
        int n = nums.size();

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] < 0) {
                nums[i] = 0;
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            int val = abs(nums[i]);
            if (val >= 1 && val <= n) {
                if (nums[val - 1] > 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1;
                } else if (nums[val - 1] == 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] = -1 * (n + 1);
                }
            }
        }

        for (int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
            if (nums[i - 1] >= 0) {
                return i;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
};

class Solution {
    /**
     * @param {number[]} nums
     * @return {number}
     */
    firstMissingPositive(nums) {
        const n = nums.length;

        for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] < 0) {
                nums[i] = 0;
            }
        }

        for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            const val = Math.abs(nums[i]);
            if (val >= 1 && val <= n) {
                if (nums[val - 1] > 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1;
                } else if (nums[val - 1] === 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] = -1 * (n + 1);
                }
            }
        }

        for (let i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
            if (nums[i - 1] >= 0) {
                return i;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

public class Solution {
    public int FirstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.Length;

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] < 0) {
                nums[i] = 0;
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            int val = Math.Abs(nums[i]);
            if (val >= 1 && val <= n) {
                if (nums[val - 1] > 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1;
                } else if (nums[val - 1] == 0) {
                    nums[val - 1] = -(n + 1);
                }
            }
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] >= 0) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

func firstMissingPositive(nums []int) int {
    n := len(nums)

    for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
        if nums[i] < 0 {
            nums[i] = 0
        }
    }

    for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
        val := nums[i]
        if val < 0 {
            val = -val
        }
        if val >= 1 && val <= n {
            if nums[val-1] > 0 {
                nums[val-1] *= -1
            } else if nums[val-1] == 0 {
                nums[val-1] = -(n + 1)
            }
        }
    }

    for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
        if nums[i] >= 0 {
            return i + 1
        }
    }

    return n + 1
}

class Solution {
    fun firstMissingPositive(nums: IntArray): Int {
        val n = nums.size

        for (i in 0 until n) {
            if (nums[i] < 0) {
                nums[i] = 0
            }
        }

        for (i in 0 until n) {
            val value = kotlin.math.abs(nums[i])
            if (value in 1..n) {
                if (nums[value - 1] > 0) {
                    nums[value - 1] *= -1
                } else if (nums[value - 1] == 0) {
                    nums[value - 1] = -(n + 1)
                }
            }
        }

        for (i in 0 until n) {
            if (nums[i] >= 0) {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

class Solution {
    func firstMissingPositive(_ nums: [Int]) -> Int {
        var nums = nums
        let n = nums.count

        for i in 0..<n {
            if nums[i] < 0 {
                nums[i] = 0
            }
        }

        for i in 0..<n {
            let val = abs(nums[i])
            if val >= 1 && val <= n {
                if nums[val - 1] > 0 {
                    nums[val - 1] *= -1
                } else if nums[val - 1] == 0 {
                    nums[val - 1] = -(n + 1)
                }
            }
        }

        for i in 0..<n {
            if nums[i] >= 0 {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

impl Solution {
    pub fn first_missing_positive(mut nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        let n = nums.len() as i32;

        for i in 0..nums.len() {
            if nums[i] < 0 {
                nums[i] = 0;
            }
        }

        for i in 0..nums.len() {
            let val = nums[i].abs();
            if val >= 1 && val <= n {
                let idx = val as usize - 1;
                if nums[idx] > 0 {
                    nums[idx] *= -1;
                } else if nums[idx] == 0 {
                    nums[idx] = -(n + 1);
                }
            }
        }

        for i in 0..nums.len() {
            if nums[i] >= 0 {
                return (i + 1) as i32;
            }
        }

        n + 1
    }
}

Time & Space Complexity

Time complexity: $O(n)$
Space complexity: $O(1)$ extra space.

5. Cycle Sort

Intuition

Another way to use the array as its own hash map is through cycle sort. The goal is to place each number at its "correct" index: value 1 at index 0, value 2 at index 1, and so on.

We iterate through the array, and for each element, if it's a valid positive number in range [1, n] and not already in its correct position, we swap it to where it belongs. We keep swapping until the current position holds the right value or an out-of-range number.

After this rearrangement, we scan the array. The first position where nums[i] != i + 1 gives us the missing number.

Algorithm

Iterate through the array with index i:
- While nums[i] is in range [1, n] and nums[i] != nums[nums[i] - 1]:
  - Swap nums[i] with nums[nums[i] - 1].
Scan the array:
- Return i + 1 for the first index where nums[i] != i + 1.
If all positions are correct, return n + 1.

class Solution:
    def firstMissingPositive(self, nums: list[int]) -> int:
        n = len(nums)
        i = 0
        while i < n:
            if nums[i] <= 0 or nums[i] > n:
                i += 1
                continue

            index = nums[i] - 1
            if nums[i] != nums[index]:
                nums[i], nums[index] = nums[index], nums[i]
            else:
                i += 1

        for i in range(n):
            if nums[i] != i + 1:
                return i + 1

        return n + 1

public class Solution {
    public int firstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.length;
        int i = 0;

        while (i < n) {
            if (nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n) {
                i++;
                continue;
            }
            int index = nums[i] - 1;
            if (nums[i] != nums[index]) {
                int temp = nums[i];
                nums[i] = nums[index];
                nums[index] = temp;
            } else {
                i++;
            }
        }

        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] != i + 1) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

class Solution {
public:
    int firstMissingPositive(vector<int>& nums) {
        int n = nums.size();
        int i = 0;

        while (i < n) {
            if (nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n) {
                i++;
                continue;
            }
            int index = nums[i] - 1;
            if (nums[i] != nums[index]) {
                swap(nums[i], nums[index]);
            } else {
                i++;
            }
        }

        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] != i + 1) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
};

class Solution {
    /**
     * @param {number[]} nums
     * @return {number}
     */
    firstMissingPositive(nums) {
        let n = nums.length;
        let i = 0;
        while (i < n) {
            if (nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n) {
                i++;
                continue;
            }
            let index = nums[i] - 1;
            if (nums[i] != nums[index]) {
                [nums[i], nums[index]] = [nums[index], nums[i]];
            } else {
                i++;
            }
        }

        for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] != i + 1) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

public class Solution {
    public int FirstMissingPositive(int[] nums) {
        int n = nums.Length;
        int i = 0;

        while (i < n) {
            if (nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n) {
                i++;
                continue;
            }

            int index = nums[i] - 1;
            if (nums[i] != nums[index]) {
                int temp = nums[i];
                nums[i] = nums[index];
                nums[index] = temp;
            } else {
                i++;
            }
        }

        for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
            if (nums[i] != i + 1) {
                return i + 1;
            }
        }

        return n + 1;
    }
}

func firstMissingPositive(nums []int) int {
    n := len(nums)
    i := 0

    for i < n {
        if nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n {
            i++
            continue
        }

        index := nums[i] - 1
        if nums[i] != nums[index] {
            nums[i], nums[index] = nums[index], nums[i]
        } else {
            i++
        }
    }

    for i := 0; i < n; i++ {
        if nums[i] != i+1 {
            return i + 1
        }
    }

    return n + 1
}

class Solution {
    fun firstMissingPositive(nums: IntArray): Int {
        val n = nums.size
        var i = 0

        while (i < n) {
            if (nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n) {
                i++
                continue
            }

            val index = nums[i] - 1
            if (nums[i] != nums[index]) {
                val temp = nums[i]
                nums[i] = nums[index]
                nums[index] = temp
            } else {
                i++
            }
        }

        for (i in 0 until n) {
            if (nums[i] != i + 1) {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

class Solution {
    func firstMissingPositive(_ nums: [Int]) -> Int {
        var nums = nums
        let n = nums.count
        var i = 0

        while i < n {
            if nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] > n {
                i += 1
                continue
            }

            let index = nums[i] - 1
            if nums[i] != nums[index] {
                nums.swapAt(i, index)
            } else {
                i += 1
            }
        }

        for i in 0..<n {
            if nums[i] != i + 1 {
                return i + 1
            }
        }

        return n + 1
    }
}

impl Solution {
    pub fn first_missing_positive(mut nums: Vec<i32>) -> i32 {
        let n = nums.len();
        let mut i = 0;

        while i < n {
            if nums[i] <= 0 || nums[i] as usize > n {
                i += 1;
                continue;
            }
            let index = nums[i] as usize - 1;
            if nums[i] != nums[index] {
                nums.swap(i, index);
            } else {
                i += 1;
            }
        }

        for i in 0..n {
            if nums[i] != (i + 1) as i32 {
                return (i + 1) as i32;
            }
        }

        (n + 1) as i32
    }
}

Time & Space Complexity

Time complexity: $O(n)$
Space complexity: $O(1)$ extra space.

Common Pitfalls

Forgetting the Answer is Bounded by n+1

The first missing positive is always in the range [1, n+1]. Many solutions fail by not recognizing this constraint and trying to handle arbitrarily large numbers. If the array contains [1, 2, ..., n], the answer is n+1. This insight is crucial for achieving O(n) time and O(1) space.

Not Handling Negative Numbers and Zeros

The array can contain negative numbers, zeros, and duplicates. Solutions that use the array itself as a hash map (via negative marking or cycle sort) must first handle or ignore non-positive values. Forgetting to skip or neutralize these values leads to index-out-of-bounds errors or incorrect markings.

Infinite Loops in Cycle Sort

When using cycle sort, failing to check if nums[i] != nums[nums[i] - 1] before swapping causes infinite loops. If the current element equals the element at its target position (duplicate case), you must move forward instead of swapping. Always verify both the value is in range and the target position needs updating.

Corrupting Original Values Before Using Them

In negative marking approaches, reading nums[i] after it has been negated gives the wrong value. Always use abs(nums[i]) to retrieve the original value when the array has been modified. Similarly, marking a zero requires special handling since negating zero has no effect.