Sorting press: Peak ticket
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Inputs
readings is a list of integers (numbers with no decimal part). It may be empty, and numbers may repeat unless task 1 says otherwise.
Your tasks
- Create a list
sorted. Sortreadingsfrom smallest to largest using merge sort. To use merge sort, split the list into smaller parts, sort those parts, then join the sorted parts in order. Keep all repeated numbers.sortedis the sorted list. - Find the largest number in
sorted. Store it inlargest. - Complete
sortingPressPeakTicketso it returnslargest. Return it, do not print it.
Example
If readings is [9, 9, 2, -1, 9], then sorted is [-1, 2, 9, 9, 9] and sortingPressPeakTicket returns 9.
Rules
- If
sortedis empty, return 0. - If every number is negative, return the largest negative number. Do not replace it with 0.
Test data
TEST DATA 1: readings is [17, 3, 17, 0, -1].
TEST DATA 2: readings is [-4, 3, 3, 3].
Examples
Input: readings = [17,3,17,0,-1] Output: 17
sorted is [-1, 0, 3, 17, 17]. The largest number is 17. Return 17.
Input: readings = [-4,3,3,3] Output: 3
sorted is [-4, 3, 3, 3]. The largest number is 3. Return 3.
Input: readings = [] Output: 0
sorted is []. The list is empty, so return 0.
Input limits
- 0 <= input size <= 50000.
- Answers fit in a signed 32-bit integer: -2,147,483,648 through 2,147,483,647.
- Input numbers have no decimal part. They range from -1,000,000 to 1,000,000. Follow any extra input rules in task 1.
Efficiency goal
Big-O describes how the work or memory needed grows as the input gets larger.
Efficiency goal: time O(n log n); extra memory, including the helper list, O(n). n is the input length. These labels describe how work and memory grow with the input.
Practice focus
Build sorted first, then return exactly what the tasks ask for. Follow the order, keep repeated values when the rule says so, and check the empty case.