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0/1 Knapsack Problem

You've broken into an art gallery and want to maximize the value of the paintings you steal. All the paintings you steal you place in your bag which can hold at most W pounds. Given that the weight and value of the ith painting is given by weights[i] and values[i] respectively, return the maximum value you can steal.

Example(s)​

Example 1:

Input: W = 10, weights = [4, 1, 3], values = [4, 2, 7]
Output: 13
Explanation:
Option 1: Take painting 0 (weight=4, value=4) and painting 2 (weight=3, value=7)
  Total: weight=7, value=11
Option 2: Take painting 1 (weight=1, value=2) and painting 2 (weight=3, value=7)
  Total: weight=4, value=9
Option 3: Take painting 0, 1, 2 (weight=8, value=13) ✓
Maximum value: 13

Example 2:

Input: W = 5, weights = [2, 4, 3], values = [3, 7, 2]
Output: 7
Explanation:
Option 1: Take painting 0 (weight=2, value=3) and painting 2 (weight=3, value=2)
  Total: weight=5, value=5
Option 2: Take painting 1 (weight=4, value=7) ✓
Maximum value: 7

Example 3:

Input: W = 7, weights = [1, 3, 4], values = [3, 5, 6]
Output: 11
Explanation:
Take painting 0 (weight=1, value=3) and painting 2 (weight=4, value=6)
Total: weight=5, value=9
Or take painting 1 (weight=3, value=5) and painting 2 (weight=4, value=6)
Total: weight=7, value=11 ✓

Solution​

The solution uses Dynamic Programming:

  1. DP table: dp[i][w] = maximum value using first i items with capacity w
  2. For each item: Decide to take it or skip it
  3. Take item: dp[i][w] = dp[i-1][w-weights[i-1]] + values[i-1]
  4. Skip item: dp[i][w] = dp[i-1][w]
  5. Choose maximum: Take the better option

JavaScript Solution - Dynamic Programming

/**
* Solve 0/1 knapsack problem
* @param {number} W - Maximum weight capacity
* @param {number[]} weights - Array of weights
* @param {number[]} values - Array of values
* @return {number} - Maximum value
*/
function knapsack(W, weights, values) {
const n = weights.length;

// dp[i][w] = maximum value using first i items with capacity w
const dp = Array(n + 1).fill().map(() => Array(W + 1).fill(0));

// Fill DP table
for (let i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
  for (let w = 1; w <= W; w++) {
    // Option 1: Don't take current item
    dp[i][w] = dp[i - 1][w];
    
    // Option 2: Take current item (if it fits)
    const currentWeight = weights[i - 1];
    const currentValue = values[i - 1];
    
    if (currentWeight <= w) {
      dp[i][w] = Math.max(
        dp[i][w], // Don't take
        dp[i - 1][w - currentWeight] + currentValue // Take
      );
    }
  }
}

return dp[n][W];
}

// Test cases
console.log('Example 1:', knapsack(10, [4, 1, 3], [4, 2, 7])); 
// 13

console.log('Example 2:', knapsack(5, [2, 4, 3], [3, 7, 2])); 
// 7

console.log('Example 3:', knapsack(7, [1, 3, 4], [3, 5, 6])); 
// 11
Output:
Click "Run Code" to execute the code and see the results.

Alternative Solution (Space-Optimized)​

Here's a space-optimized version using only one row:

/**
 * Space-optimized: O(W) space instead of O(n×W)
 */
function knapsackOptimized(W, weights, values) {
  const n = weights.length;
  const dp = new Array(W + 1).fill(0);
  
  for (let i = 0; i < n; i++) {
    // Process from right to left to avoid overwriting
    for (let w = W; w >= weights[i]; w--) {
      dp[w] = Math.max(
        dp[w], // Don't take
        dp[w - weights[i]] + values[i] // Take
      );
    }
  }
  
  return dp[W];
}

Complexity​

  • Time Complexity: O(n × W) - Where n is the number of items and W is the weight capacity. We fill a table of size n × W.
  • Space Complexity:
    • Standard DP: O(n × W) - For the DP table
    • Optimized: O(W) - Using only one row

Approach​

The solution uses Dynamic Programming:

  1. DP state:

    • dp[i][w] = maximum value using first i items with capacity w

  2. Base case:

    • dp[0][w] = 0 (no items, no value)
    • dp[i][0] = 0 (no capacity, no value)

  3. Recurrence:

    • For each item, decide: take it or skip it
    • Skip: dp[i][w] = dp[i-1][w]
    • Take: dp[i][w] = dp[i-1][w-weights[i-1]] + values[i-1] (if it fits)
    • Choose maximum

  4. Result:

    • dp[n][W] = maximum value using all items with capacity W

Key Insights​

  • Dynamic Programming: Optimal substructure - optimal solution uses optimal subproblems
  • 0/1 Knapsack: Each item can be taken at most once
  • Two choices: For each item, take it or skip it
  • O(n×W) time: Must consider all items and capacities
  • Space optimization: Can reduce to O(W) space

Step-by-Step Example​

Let's trace through Example 1: W = 10, weights = [4, 1, 3], values = [4, 2, 7]

Items:
  Item 0: weight=4, value=4
  Item 1: weight=1, value=2
  Item 2: weight=3, value=7

DP table (dp[i][w]):
        w:  0  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10
  i=0:     0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
  i=1:     0  0  0  0  4  4  4  4  4  4  4  (item 0)
  i=2:     0  2  2  2  4  6  6  6  6  6  6  (items 0,1)
  i=3:     0  2  2  7  9  9  9 11 13 13 13  (items 0,1,2)

Result: dp[3][10] = 13

Explanation:
  dp[3][10] = max(
    dp[2][10] = 6 (don't take item 2),
    dp[2][7] + 7 = 6 + 7 = 13 (take item 2)
  ) = 13

Visual Representation​

Example 1: W = 10, weights = [4, 1, 3], values = [4, 2, 7]

Items:
  Item 0: weight=4, value=4
  Item 1: weight=1, value=2
  Item 2: weight=3, value=7

Optimal solution:
  Take: Item 0 (4 lbs, $4) + Item 1 (1 lb, $2) + Item 2 (3 lbs, $7)
  Total: 8 lbs, $13

DP table shows:
  dp[3][10] = 13 (maximum value)

Edge Cases​

  • W = 0: Return 0 (no capacity)
  • No items: Return 0
  • All items too heavy: Return 0
  • Single item: Return value if weight ≤ W, else 0
  • All items fit: Return sum of all values

Important Notes​

  • 0/1 Knapsack: Each item can be taken at most once
  • Not fractional: Cannot take part of an item
  • Maximize value: Goal is maximum value, not minimum weight
  • O(n×W) time: Pseudo-polynomial (depends on W)
  • Space optimization: Can reduce to O(W) space

Why Dynamic Programming Works​

Optimal Substructure:

  • If we know the optimal solution for capacity w using first i-1 items
  • We can extend it by deciding whether to take the ith item
  • This gives us the optimal solution for capacity w using first i items

Overlapping Subproblems:

  • Multiple states may need the same subproblem solutions
  • DP table stores and reuses these solutions
  • Partition Equal Subset Sum: Similar DP problem
  • Coin Change: Different DP problem
  • Target Sum: Different problem
  • Unbounded Knapsack: Can take items multiple times

Takeaways​

  • Dynamic Programming solves 0/1 knapsack efficiently
  • Two choices per item: take or skip
  • O(n×W) time to fill DP table
  • Space can be optimized to O(W)
  • Classic DP problem with many applications