ApressJavaCode
diff --git a/‎algorithms-searching/src/main/java/com/baeldung/algorithms/kthsmallest/KthSmallest.java‎
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+package com.baeldung.algorithms.kthsmallest;
+
+import java.util.Arrays;
+import java.util.NoSuchElementException;
+
+import static java.lang.Math.max;
+import static java.lang.Math.min;
+
+public class KthSmallest {
+
+    public static int findKthSmallestElement(int k, int[] list1, int[] list2)  throws NoSuchElementException, IllegalArgumentException {
+
+        checkInput(k, list1, list2);
+
+        // we are looking for the minimum value
+        if(k == 1) {
+            return min(list1[0], list2[0]);
+        }
+
+        // we are looking for the maximum value
+        if(list1.length + list2.length == k) {
+            return max(list1[list1.length-1], list2[list2.length-1]);
+        }
+
+        // swap lists if needed to make sure we take at least one element from list1
+        if(k <= list2.length && list2[k-1] < list1[0]) {
+            int[] list1_ = list1;
+            list1 = list2;
+            list2 = list1_;
+        }
+
+        // correct left boundary if k is bigger than the size of list2
+        int left = k < list2.length ? 0 : k - list2.length - 1;
+
+        // the inital right boundary cannot exceed the list1
+        int right = min(k-1, list1.length - 1);
+
+        int nElementsList1, nElementsList2;
+
+        // binary search
+        do {
+            nElementsList1 = ((left + right) / 2) + 1;
+            nElementsList2 = k - nElementsList1;
+
+            if(nElementsList2 > 0) {
+                if (list1[nElementsList1 - 1] > list2[nElementsList2 - 1]) {
+                    right = nElementsList1 - 2;
+                } else {
+                    left = nElementsList1;
+                }
+            }
+        } while(!kthSmallesElementFound(list1, list2, nElementsList1, nElementsList2));
+
+        return nElementsList2 == 0 ? list1[nElementsList1-1] : max(list1[nElementsList1-1], list2[nElementsList2-1]);
+    }
+
+    private static boolean kthSmallesElementFound(int[] list1, int[] list2, int nElementsList1, int nElementsList2) {
+
+        // we do not take any element from the second list
+        if(nElementsList2 < 1) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if(list1[nElementsList1-1] == list2[nElementsList2-1]) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if(nElementsList1 == list1.length) {
+            return list1[nElementsList1-1] <= list2[nElementsList2];
+        }
+
+        if(nElementsList2 == list2.length) {
+            return list2[nElementsList2-1] <= list1[nElementsList1];
+        }
+
+        return list1[nElementsList1-1] <= list2[nElementsList2] && list2[nElementsList2-1] <= list1[nElementsList1];
+    }
+
+
+    private static void checkInput(int k, int[] list1, int[] list2) throws NoSuchElementException, IllegalArgumentException {
+
+        if(list1 == null || list2 == null || k < 1) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException();
+        }
+
+        if(list1.length == 0 || list2.length == 0) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException();
+        }
+
+        if(k > list1.length + list2.length) {
+            throw new NoSuchElementException();
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static int getKthElementSorted(int[] list1, int[] list2, int k) {
+
+        int length1 = list1.length, length2 = list2.length;
+        int[] combinedArray = new int[length1 + length2];
+        System.arraycopy(list1, 0, combinedArray, 0, list1.length);
+        System.arraycopy(list2, 0, combinedArray, list1.length, list2.length);
+        Arrays.sort(combinedArray);
+
+        return combinedArray[k-1];
+    }
+
+    public static int getKthElementMerge(int[] list1, int[] list2, int k) {
+
+        int i1 = 0, i2 = 0;
+
+        while(i1 < list1.length && i2 < list2.length && (i1 + i2) < k) {
+            if(list1[i1] < list2[i2]) {
+                i1++;
+            } else {
+                i2++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if((i1 + i2) < k) {
+            return i1 < list1.length ? list1[k - i2 - 1] : list2[k - i1 - 1];
+        } else if(i1 > 0 && i2 > 0) {
+            return Math.max(list1[i1-1], list2[i2-1]);
+        } else {
+            return i1 == 0 ? list2[i2-1] : list1[i1-1];
+        }
+    }
+}