Optimal Algorithmic Approach
Binary search on the answer space.
Core Invariants & Edge Cases
- Binary search the speed k in [1, max(piles)]
- For a given k compute total hours = sum(ceil(pile/k))
- If hours ≤ h, try lower speed; else try higher
Find the minimum eating speed k such that all piles are eaten within h hours.
Binary search on the answer space.
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