Very quick and dirty solution in Java:
public class JavaApplication1
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
List<Integer> list = Arrays.asList(1, 3, 7, 6, 8, 3);
for (Integer integer : list) {
List<Integer> runList = new ArrayList<>(list);
runList.remove(integer);
Result result = getOperations(runList, integer, 348);
if (result.success) {
System.out.println(integer + result.output);
return;
}
}
}
public static class Result
{
public String output;
public boolean success;
}
public static Result getOperations(List<Integer> numbers, int midNumber, int target)
{
Result midResult = new Result();
if (midNumber == target) {
midResult.success = true;
midResult.output = "";
return midResult;
}
for (Integer number : numbers) {
List<Integer> newList = new ArrayList<Integer>(numbers);
newList.remove(number);
if (newList.isEmpty()) {
if (midNumber - number == target) {
midResult.success = true;
midResult.output = "-" + number;
return midResult;
}
if (midNumber + number == target) {
midResult.success = true;
midResult.output = "+" + number;
return midResult;
}
if (midNumber * number == target) {
midResult.success = true;
midResult.output = "*" + number;
return midResult;
}
if (midNumber / number == target) {
midResult.success = true;
midResult.output = "https://stackoverflow.com/" + number;
return midResult;
}
midResult.success = false;
midResult.output = "f" + number;
return midResult;
} else {
midResult = getOperations(newList, midNumber - number, target);
if (midResult.success) {
midResult.output = "-" + number + midResult.output;
return midResult;
}
midResult = getOperations(newList, midNumber + number, target);
if (midResult.success) {
midResult.output = "+" + number + midResult.output;
return midResult;
}
midResult = getOperations(newList, midNumber * number, target);
if (midResult.success) {
midResult.output = "*" + number + midResult.output;
return midResult;
}
midResult = getOperations(newList, midNumber / number, target);
if (midResult.success) {
midResult.output = "https://stackoverflow.com/" + number + midResult.output;
return midResult
}
}
}
return midResult;
}
}
UPDATE
It’s basically just simple brute force algorithm with exponential complexity.
However you can gain some improvemens by leveraging some heuristic function which will help you to order sequence of numbers or(and) operations you will process in each level of getOperatiosn() function recursion.
Example of such heuristic function is for example difference between mid result and total target result.
This way however only best-case and average-case complexities get improved. Worst case complexity remains untouched.
Worst case complexity can be improved by some kind of branch cutting. I’m not sure if it’s possible in this case.