Add bisect utility

This is too common of an optimization to not have this readily accessible. And I kinda like how this worked out, too. Go is fun. Plus this both speeds up and "fixes" day 14's part 2 solution (it was always giving a correct answer, but mostly by chance based on how the input numbers worked out).

days/14.go

@@ -104,26 +104,10 @@ func (d *Day14) Part1() string {
 func (d *Day14) Part2() string {
 	oreAvailable := int64(1000000000000)
 	estimate := oreAvailable / d.getOreRequiredForFuel(1)
-
+	lastSuccess := u.Bisect(estimate, estimate*2, 1, func(val int64) bool {
-	high := estimate * 2
+		oreConsumed := d.getOreRequiredForFuel(val)
-	low := estimate
+		return oreConsumed < oreAvailable
-
+	})
-	lastSuccess := low
-	lastFailure := high
-	fuelProduced := low
-
-	for math.Abs(float64(lastFailure-lastSuccess)) > 1 {
-		oreConsumed := d.getOreRequiredForFuel(fuelProduced)
-		adjustment := (lastFailure - lastSuccess) / 2
-		if oreConsumed < oreAvailable {
-			lastSuccess = fuelProduced
-		} else {
-			lastFailure = fuelProduced
-			adjustment = -adjustment
-		}
-
-		fuelProduced += adjustment
-	}
 
 	return fmt.Sprintf("Maximum fuel we can make from 1 trillion ore: %s%d%s", u.TextBold, lastSuccess, u.TextReset)
 }

utilities/bisect.go

@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package utilities
+
+import (
+	"math"
+)
+
+// Bisect takes a known-good low and known-bad high value as the bounds
+// to bisect, and a function to test each value for success or failure.
+// If the function succeeds, the value is adjusted toward the maximum,
+// and if the function fails, the value is adjusted toward the minimum.
+// The final value is returned when the difference between the success
+// and the failure is less than or equal to the acceptance threshold
+// (usually 1, for integers).
+func Bisect[T Number](low, high, threshold T, tryFunc func(val T) bool) T {
+	for T(math.Abs(float64(high-low))) > threshold {
+		currVal := low + ((high - low) / 2)
+		success := tryFunc(currVal)
+		if success {
+			low = currVal
+		} else {
+			high = currVal
+		}
+	}
+
+	return low
+}