> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mayanktyagi3111.gitbook.io/interview-prep/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mayanktyagi3111.gitbook.io/interview-prep/recursion-and-backtracking/matchsticks-to-square.md).

# Matchsticks to Square

Remember the story of Little Match Girl? By now, you know exactly what matchsticks the little match girl has, please find out a way you can make one square by using up all those matchsticks. You should not break any stick, but you can link them up, and each matchstick must be used **exactly** one time.

Your input will be several matchsticks the girl has, represented with their stick length. Your output will either be true or false, to represent whether you could make one square using all the matchsticks the little match girl has.

**Example 1:**<br>

```
Input: [1,1,2,2,2]
Output: true

Explanation: You can form a square with length 2, one side of the square came two sticks with length 1.
```

**Example 2:**<br>

```
Input: [3,3,3,3,4]
Output: false

Explanation: You cannot find a way to form a square with all the matchsticks.
```

**Note:**<br>

1. The length sum of the given matchsticks is in the range of `0` to `10^9`.
2. The length of the given matchstick array will not exceed `15`.

```java
class Solution {
    public boolean makesquare(int[] nums) {
        int total = 0;
        for (int n : nums)
            total += n;
        if (total == 0 || total % 4 > 0)
            return false;
        total /= 4;
        // Sorting improves runtime as we take the biggest element first
        Arrays.sort(nums);
        // Finding 4 subsequences of equal sum
        for (int i = 0; i < 4; i++)
            if (!search(nums, nums.length - 1, 0, total))
                return false;
        return true;
    }

    private boolean search(int[] nums, int start, int sum, int target) {
        if (start < 0 || sum > target)
            return false;
        for (int i = start; i >= 0; i--) {
            // Using original array as visited array itself
            if (nums[i] == 0)
                continue;
            int temp = nums[i];
            nums[i] = 0;
            if (sum + temp == target || search(nums, i - 1, sum + temp, target))
                return true;
            nums[i] = temp;
        }
        return false;
    }
}
```


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