DATA STRUCTURES • ALGORITHMS

Largest Number

Given a list of non-negative integers, arrange them such that they form the largest possible number.

Time

O(N log N)

Space

O(N)

Key Principle 1

Custom string concatenation sort

Key Principle 2

Compare (a+b) with (b+a)

Key Principle 3

Sorting ensures local optimal choice

Key Principle 4

Handle '0' edge cases carefully

LARGEST_NUMBER_LAB
NUMS:
Current Step
Goal: Arrange numbers to form the largest possible string. Custom sort based on concat order.
Playback
Comparison Tracker ⠿
A + B-
B + A-
ORDER OK
Concatenation Logic ⠿
1sort(nums, (a, b) => (b + a).compareTo(a + b));
2if (nums[0] == '0') return '0';
3StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
4for (String s : nums) sb.append(s);
5return sb.toString();
3
[0]
30
[1]
34
[2]
5
[3]
9
[4]
Resulting Number
?

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