Find pairs with the minimum absolute difference
Company: Microsoft
Role: Machine Learning Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Technical Screen
Given an integer array (not necessarily sorted), find the minimum absolute difference between any two distinct elements. Return all pairs of values that achieve this minimum difference.
Requirements:
- Each pair should be ordered as [smaller, larger].
- Return pairs in ascending order by their first element (and then second if needed).
Example:
Input: [-1, -2, -4, -5, 7, 10]
Output: [[-5, -4], [-2, -1]]
Explanation: The minimum difference is 1, achieved by (-5, -4) and (-2, -1).
Quick Answer: This question evaluates array manipulation, sorting-based reasoning, and the ability to generate ordered value pairs that reflect minimum absolute differences while handling ordering and duplicates.