Arrange Nonnegative Integers to Form the Largest Number
Company: LinkedIn
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: easy
Interview Round: Technical Screen
# Arrange Nonnegative Integers to Form the Largest Number
Given a list of nonnegative integers, arrange all of them so that their decimal representations concatenate into the numerically largest possible value.
Implement:
```text
largestConcatenatedNumber(nums) -> string
```
Return a string because the result may exceed integer limits. If every input value is zero, return exactly `"0"`. Every input element must be used once.
## Constraints
- `1 <= nums.length <= 100,000`
- `0 <= nums[i] <= 10^9`
## Examples
### Example 1
```text
nums = [10, 2]
output = "210"
```
### Example 2
```text
nums = [3, 30, 34, 5, 9]
output = "9534330"
```
Quick Answer: Arrange nonnegative integers so their decimal strings form the largest possible concatenation. The prompt requires every value exactly once, returns a string for unbounded result length, defines the all-zero case, and includes order-sensitive examples.
Given a list of nonnegative integers, arrange every value exactly once so that their decimal representations concatenate into the numerically largest possible value. Return the result as a string because it may exceed integer limits. If every input value is zero, return exactly "0".
Constraints
- 1 <= nums.length <= 100,000
- 0 <= nums[i] <= 10^9
- Every input element must be used exactly once.
Examples
Input: ([10, 2],)
Expected Output: '210'
Explanation: Placing 2 before 10 produces the larger concatenation.
Input: ([3, 30, 34, 5, 9],)
Expected Output: '9534330'
Explanation: The source example needs concatenation order rather than ordinary numeric order.
Hints
- For two decimal strings a and b, compare a+b with b+a.
- Handle the all-zero input with the required canonical output.