Which of the following approaches correctly adapts the algorithm to handle negatives and still produce the largest concatenated number?
hard🎤 Interviewer Follow-up Q15 of Q15
Greedy Algorithms - Largest Number (Arrange to Form Biggest)
Suppose the problem is modified so that the input list can contain negative integers as well. Which of the following approaches correctly adapts the algorithm to handle negatives and still produce the largest concatenated number?
AConvert negatives to positive strings before sorting with the comparator, then prepend '-' to those in final output
BFilter out negative numbers since they cannot contribute to the largest concatenation
CSeparate negatives and positives, sort positives with comparator, sort negatives by absolute value descending, then concatenate positives followed by negatives
DConvert all numbers to strings including negatives, then sort with the same comparator comparing concatenations
Step-by-Step Solution
Solution:
Step 1: Recognize negatives affect ordering and concatenation semantics
Negative numbers cannot be treated the same as positives because concatenation with '-' changes lex order.
Step 2: Separate positives and negatives, sort positives with original comparator, sort negatives by absolute value descending
Concatenate positives first (largest number), then negatives to maintain largest overall concatenation.
Step 3: This approach preserves ordering logic and handles negatives correctly
Other options either ignore negatives or mishandle signs causing incorrect results.
Final Answer:
Option C -> Option C
Quick Check:
Separating and sorting by sign handles negatives correctly [OK]
Quick Trick:Negatives require separate handling, not just string comparison [OK]
