How to find the missing number in a list containing numbers from 1 to n in O(1) time complexity with Scala

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/*
The essence of O(1) space complexity is that the algorithm uses a fixed amount of memory,
regardless of input size. Time complexity here is O(n) because we must scan the array.
*/

object MissingNumberFinder {

  def findMissingNumber(arr: Array[Int]): Int = {
    val size = arr.length
    // formula for the sum of the first (size+1) natural numbers
    val expectedSum: Long = ((size + 1) * (size + 2)) / 2
    val actualSum: Long = arr.map(_.toLong).sum

    (expectedSum - actualSum).toInt
  }

  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    val arr = Array(1, 2, 4, 5, 6)
    val missing = findMissingNumber(arr)

    println(s"Missing number: $missing")
  }
}



/*
run:

Missing number: 3

*/

 



answered Dec 11, 2025 by avibootz

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