freeCodeCamp/curriculum/challenges/english/08-coding-interview-prep/rosetta-code/knapsack-problem-continuous.english.md

---
id: 5a23c84252665b21eecc7ed3
title: Knapsack problem/Continuous
challengeType: 5
forumTopicId: 323654
---

## Description
<section id='description'>
A thief burgles a butcher's shop, where he can select from some items.
The thief knows the weights and prices of each items. Because he has a knapsack with a limit on the maximum weight that it can carry, he wants to select the items such that he would have his profit maximized. He may cut the items; the item has a reduced price after cutting that is proportional to the original price by the ratio of masses. That means: half of an item has half the price of the original.
</section>

## Instructions
<section id='instructions'>
Write a function that takes an array of objects representing the items available in the shop. Each object has 3 attributes: name, weight, and value. The function also takes the maximum weight as a parameter. The function should return the maximum value possible, and the total weight of the selected items should not exceed the maximum weight.
</section>

## Tests
<section id='tests'>

``` yml
tests:
  - text: <code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 10)</code> should return <code>257.875</code>.
    testString: assert.equal(knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 10), 257.875, '<code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 10)</code> should return <code>257.875</code>.');
  - text: <code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 12)</code> should return <code>295.05405405405406</code>.
    testString: assert.equal(knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 12), 295.05405405405406, '<code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 12)</code> should return <code>295.05405405405406</code>.');
  - text: <code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 15)</code> should return <code>349.3783783783784</code>.
    testString: assert.equal(knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 15), 349.3783783783784, '<code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 15)</code> should return <code>349.3783783783784</code>.');
  - text: <code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 22)</code> should return <code>459.5263157894737</code>.
    testString: assert.equal(knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 22), 459.5263157894737, '<code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 22)</code> should return <code>459.5263157894737</code>.');
  - text: <code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 24)</code> should return <code>478.4736842105263</code>.
    testString: assert.equal(knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 24), 478.4736842105263, '<code>knapContinuous([{ "weight":3.8, "value":36, name:"beef" }, { "weight":5.4, "value":43, name:"pork" }, { "weight":3.6, "value":90, name:"ham" }, { "weight":2.4, "value":45, name:"greaves" }, { "weight":4.0, "value":30, name:"flitch" }, { "weight":2.5, "value":56, name:"brawn" }, { "weight":3.7, "value":67, name:"welt" }, { "weight":3.0, "value":95, name:"salami" }, { "weight":5.9, "value":98, name:"sausage" }], 24)</code> should return <code>478.4736842105263</code>.');
```

</section>

## Challenge Seed
<section id='challengeSeed'>
<div id='js-seed'>

```js
function knapContinuous (items, maxweight) {
  // Good luck!
}
```

</div>
</section>

## Solution
<section id='solution'>

```js
function knapContinuous(items, maxweight) {
  function item_cmp(a, b) {
    const ua = a.unitVal, ub = b.unitVal;
    return ua < ub ? 1 : ua > ub ? -1 : 0;
  }
  items = items.map(({ value, weight }) => ({ unitVal: value / weight, weight }));
  items.sort(item_cmp)

  let val = 0;
  let wt = 0;
  for (let { unitVal, weight } of items) {
    var portion = Math.min(maxweight - wt, weight);
    wt += portion;
    var addVal = portion * unitVal;
    val += addVal;
    if (wt >= maxweight) {
      break;
    }
  }
  return val;
}
```

</section>