Find Duplicate Element

Find duplicate element in array of size n+1 with elements 1 to n.

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# Take array
n = int(input("Enter n: "))
arr = []
for i in range(n + 1):
    arr.append(int(input(f"Element {i+1}: ")))

# Find duplicate using sum
expected_sum = n * (n + 1) // 2
actual_sum = sum(arr)
duplicate = actual_sum - expected_sum

print(f"Duplicate: {duplicate}")

Output

Enter n: 4
Element 1: 1
Element 2: 2
Element 3: 3
Element 4: 4
Element 5: 3
Duplicate: 3

Use sum difference to find duplicate.

Key Concepts:

  • Expected sum for 1 to n
  • Actual sum includes duplicate
  • Duplicate = actual - expected