Developing unique partnerships in javascript without any duplicates

Question

Developing unique partnerships in javascript without any duplicates

Currently tackling a small project with the code provided below. Encountering an issue as it doesn't accommodate duplicates. Seeking advice on how to address this challenge.

Note that by "duplicates" I mean scenarios where Joe can't be paired with Mark and then also be paired with Matt or any other person mentioned in the list.


var people = ["Joe", "Amy", "Garrett", "Mark", "Matt", "Bri", "Rithy", "Rob", "Sandro", "Sharmila"];

for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) { 
 var pick1 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);
 var pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);

  while (pick1 === pick2) {
    pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);
  }
  console.log(people[pick1] + " and " + people[pick2] + " are a group!");
}

javascript arrays

Answer 1

Answer №1

If you're looking to mix things up a bit, one strategy could be to eliminate individuals who have already been selected from the pool so they don't get chosen again. Here's an example of how you could achieve this:

var people = [
"Joe",
"Amy",
"Garrett",
"Mark",
"Matt",
"Bri",
"Rithy",
"Rob",
"Sandro",
"Sharmila"
];

var num_people = people.length;
result = {};

while (num_people > 1){
[1,2].forEach(function(num){
    var index = Math.floor(Math.random() * num_people);
    result[num] = people[index];
    people.splice(index, 1);
    num_people--;
});
console.log(result[1] + " and " + result[2] + " make a team!");
}

Answer 2

If you're looking to mix things up a bit, one strategy could be to eliminate individuals who have already been selected from the pool so they don't get chosen again. Here's an example of how you could achieve this:

var people = [
"Joe",
"Amy",
"Garrett",
"Mark",
"Matt",
"Bri",
"Rithy",
"Rob",
"Sandro",
"Sharmila"
];

var num_people = people.length;
result = {};

while (num_people > 1){
[1,2].forEach(function(num){
    var index = Math.floor(Math.random() * num_people);
    result[num] = people[index];
    people.splice(index, 1);
    num_people--;
});
console.log(result[1] + " and " + result[2] + " make a team!");
}

Answer 3

Answer №2

While you're taking care of checking duplicates, I suggest a different approach without using a while loop. My recommendation is to encapsulate the for loop within a function and have the function recursively call itself if a duplicate is found. Here's an example:

List of people: ["Joe", "Amy", "Garrett", "Mark", "Matt", "Bri", "Rithy", "Rob", "Sandro", "Sharmila"];

var pickTwo = function() {

for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) { 
 var pick1 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);
 var pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);

  if (pick1 === pick2) {
    pickTwo();
  } else {
  console.log(people[pick1] + " and " + people[pick2] +  " are in a group!");
} 
}
}

pickTwo();

This method ensures that pairs are selected without any duplicates by continuously calling the function until a suitable pair is found. While this could result in multiple calls to the function, the likelihood of it running for an excessively long time is slim.

Answer 4

While you're taking care of checking duplicates, I suggest a different approach without using a while loop. My recommendation is to encapsulate the for loop within a function and have the function recursively call itself if a duplicate is found. Here's an example:

List of people: ["Joe", "Amy", "Garrett", "Mark", "Matt", "Bri", "Rithy", "Rob", "Sandro", "Sharmila"];

var pickTwo = function() {

for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) { 
 var pick1 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);
 var pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random()*11);

  if (pick1 === pick2) {
    pickTwo();
  } else {
  console.log(people[pick1] + " and " + people[pick2] +  " are in a group!");
} 
}
}

pickTwo();

This method ensures that pairs are selected without any duplicates by continuously calling the function until a suitable pair is found. While this could result in multiple calls to the function, the likelihood of it running for an excessively long time is slim.

Answer 5

Answer №3

Check out this code snippet to ensure unique pairings.

  var partners = ["Emma", "Liam", "Olivia", "Noah", "Ava", "William", "Isabella", "James", "Ella", "Alexander"];

    for (j = 0; j < partners.length/2; j++) { 

      alert(partners.splice(Math.floor(Math.random()*partners.length),1) + " and " + partners.splice(Math.floor(Math.random()*partners.length),1) + " make a great team!");
    }

Answer 6

Check out this code snippet to ensure unique pairings.

  var partners = ["Emma", "Liam", "Olivia", "Noah", "Ava", "William", "Isabella", "James", "Ella", "Alexander"];

    for (j = 0; j < partners.length/2; j++) { 

      alert(partners.splice(Math.floor(Math.random()*partners.length),1) + " and " + partners.splice(Math.floor(Math.random()*partners.length),1) + " make a great team!");
    }

Answer 7

Answer №4

I'm having trouble grasping your concern about avoiding duplicates because your code inherently prevents duplicate entries for pick1 and pick2.

One improvement suggestion would be to utilize a do..while loop instead of a while loop after initializing the pick2 variable. Here is how your code could look with this adjustment:

var pick2;
do {
  pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
} while (pick1 === pick2);

See below for a demo:

var people = ["Joe", "Amy", "Garrett", "Mark", "Matt", "Bri", "Rithy", "Rob", "Sandro", "Sharmila"];

for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
  var pick1 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
  var pick2;
  do {
    pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
  } while (pick1 === pick2);
  console.log(people[pick1] + " and " + people[pick2] + " are a group!");
}

Answer 8

I'm having trouble grasping your concern about avoiding duplicates because your code inherently prevents duplicate entries for pick1 and pick2.

One improvement suggestion would be to utilize a do..while loop instead of a while loop after initializing the pick2 variable. Here is how your code could look with this adjustment:

var pick2;
do {
  pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
} while (pick1 === pick2);

See below for a demo:

var people = ["Joe", "Amy", "Garrett", "Mark", "Matt", "Bri", "Rithy", "Rob", "Sandro", "Sharmila"];

for (i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
  var pick1 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
  var pick2;
  do {
    pick2 = Math.floor(Math.random() * 10);
  } while (pick1 === pick2);
  console.log(people[pick1] + " and " + people[pick2] + " are a group!");
}

Answer 9

Answer №5

Randomize the list, and then divide it into pairs:

var students = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "Diana", "Eve", "Frank", "Gina", "Hank", "Ivy", "Jack"];

// creates a shuffled version of the array
function randomizeList(list) {
  const arr = [...list];
  let n = arr.length, j;
  
  while (n) {
    j = (Math.random() * n--) >>> 0;
    [arr[n], arr[j]] = [arr[j], arr[n]]
  }
  return arr;
}

// split the array into pairs
function divideIntoPairs(array) {
  let duos = [];
  for(let i = 0; i < array.length; i += 2) {
    duos.push([array[i], array[i + 1]]);
  }
  return duos;
}

console.log(divideIntoPairs(randomizeList(students))); // mix up and divide into pairs

Answer 10

Randomize the list, and then divide it into pairs:

var students = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "Diana", "Eve", "Frank", "Gina", "Hank", "Ivy", "Jack"];

// creates a shuffled version of the array
function randomizeList(list) {
  const arr = [...list];
  let n = arr.length, j;
  
  while (n) {
    j = (Math.random() * n--) >>> 0;
    [arr[n], arr[j]] = [arr[j], arr[n]]
  }
  return arr;
}

// split the array into pairs
function divideIntoPairs(array) {
  let duos = [];
  for(let i = 0; i < array.length; i += 2) {
    duos.push([array[i], array[i + 1]]);
  }
  return duos;
}

console.log(divideIntoPairs(randomizeList(students))); // mix up and divide into pairs

Developing unique partnerships in javascript without any duplicates

Answer №1

Answer №2

Answer №3

Answer №4

Answer №5

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