🧠 100 Lines of Well-Structured Code vs. 2 Lines of Cleverness

📑 Article Outline

1. Introduction

2. The Problem

3. APPROACH 1: Efficient strategy. Benefits of Well-Structured Code

   → Code

4. APPROACH 2: Drawbacks of Clever Code

   → Code

5. Comparison Table

6. Conclusion

7. Final Thought

🔍 Introduction

"Clever code is often the enemy of clear code."

In the tech community, developers sometimes celebrate brevity and trickery. “Wow, that’s just 2 lines and does everything!” But is brevity always best?

This article dives into the trade-off between clear, well-structured code and overly clever one-liners. We'll explore the importance of writing code for efficiency, and why clarity nearly always trumps cleverness in the long run.

🎯 The Problem:

You have 9 identical-looking balls, but one of them is heavier than the others.
You are allowed to use a balance scale (that shows which side is heavier), and your goal is to find the heavy ball in the fewest number of weighings.

⚖️ APPROACH 1: Divide and Weigh (Efficient Strategy)

This is the most efficient and logical approach.

🧠 Step-by-step Process:

1. Divide the 9 balls into 3 groups of 3 balls each:

   • Group A: Ball 1, 2, 3

   • Group B: Ball 4, 5, 6

   • Group C: Ball 7, 8, 9

2. Weigh Group A vs Group B

   • ⚖️ Place Group A on the left pan, Group B on the right pan.

➕ CASES:

✅ Case 1: Balance is equal

• Group A = Group B → The heavier ball is in Group C.

• Pick any two balls from Group C and weigh:

  • Ball 7 vs Ball 8.

  • If equal → Ball 9 is heavy.

  • If not equal → The heavier side has the heavy ball.

❌ Case 2: One side is heavier

• Suppose Group A is heavier → Heavy ball is in Group A.

• Now weigh Ball 1 vs Ball 2:

  • If equal → Ball 3 is heavy.

  • If one is heavier → That one is the heavy ball.

✅ Number of Weighings: 2

• First weighing: Compare two groups of 3.

• Second weighing: Compare 2 balls from the suspected group.

🔒 Reliability: 100%

You guarantee to find the heavy ball in just 2 weighings, no guessing needed.

🧑🏻‍💻 C++ Code Example

int nineBallSmartCode()
{
    int ball[9] = {1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1}; // Ball 3 is heavier (index 3)

    // First weighing: group1 (0,1,2) vs group2 (3,4,5)
    int group1 = ball[0] + ball[1] + ball[2];
    int group2 = ball[3] + ball[4] + ball[5];

    int heavyGroupStart = 6; // Default to group3 (6,7,8)

    if (group1 > group2)
        heavyGroupStart = 0; // group1 is heavy
    else if (group2 > group1)
        heavyGroupStart = 3; // group2 is heavy

    // Second weighing: compare two balls in the suspected group
    if (ball[heavyGroupStart] > ball[heavyGroupStart + 1])
        return heavyGroupStart;
    else if (ball[heavyGroupStart + 1] > ball[heavyGroupStart])
        return heavyGroupStart + 1;
    else
        return heavyGroupStart + 2;
}

🧱 APPROACH 2: Brute-Force / Trial-and-Error

This is a simpler (but slower) approach: compare one ball at a time against a known "normal" ball.

🧠 Step-by-step Process:

1. Pick Ball 1 and Ball 2, weigh them.

   • If equal, both are normal.

   • Continue comparing Ball 3 vs Ball 1, Ball 4 vs Ball 1, and so on...

2. As soon as one side is heavier, you’ve found the odd (heavy) ball.

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❌ Number of Weighings: Up to 8

• In the worst case, the heavy ball is the 9th one.

• You’ll have done 8 comparisons before reaching it.

🔓 Reliability: 100%, but inefficient

• You'll eventually find the heavy ball, but it could take up to 8 weighings.

⚙️ C++ Code Example

int nineBallShortCode()
{
    int ball[9] = {1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1}; // One ball is heavier
    int maxWeightIndex = 0;
    for (int i = 1; i < 9; i++)
    {
        if (ball[i] > ball[maxWeightIndex])
            maxWeightIndex = i;
    }
    return maxWeightIndex;
}

📊 Comparison Table

📌 Conclusion & Key Takeaways

When solving tasks like finding a heavy ball, structured code offers clear logic and minimal steps, while clever code is compact but harder to follow.

• Clarity beats cleverness when it comes to team-based, maintainable code.

• Use structured logic when working on real applications or teaching.

• Use short code only when the task is simple, isolated, and won’t change.

💡 "Write code that humans can understand. Machines already do."

🗣 Final Thought

“Good code isn't about writing less—it's about communicating more.”
A clever 2-liner might work once, but a thoughtful 100 lines will work forever.

💬 Let’s Talk!

How do you balance clarity vs. cleverness in your code?
Drop a comment below or share your favorite “refactor this!” moment. 👇

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