Kth Smallest

Kth Smallest Element

Problem

You’re given an array of integers and an integer k, and need to find the kth smallest element in the array.

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Strategy

At first, it feels like you need something complex to track the kth element.

But since the kth smallest element is based on sorted order, I thought about it differently:

What if I just sort the array first?

So the idea is simple:

• Sort the array
• Return the element at index k - 1

Because indexing starts from 0.

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Code

class Solution:
    def kthSmallest(self, arr, k):
        arr.sort()
        return arr[k - 1]

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Key Lines Explained

arr.sort()
Sorts the array in ascending order.

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return arr[k - 1]
Since arrays are 0-indexed, the kth smallest element will be at index k - 1.

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Why This Works

Once the array is sorted:

• Smallest element → index 0
• 2nd smallest → index 1
• kth smallest → index k-1

So the answer becomes direct.

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Complexity

Time: O(n log n)
Space: O(1)

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Final Note

This is the most straightforward approach.

Even though there are more optimized solutions (like heaps or quickselect), sorting keeps it simple and easy to understand.