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Squares of a Sorted Array

Easy
Two Pointers

Given an integer array nums sorted in non-decreasing order, return an array of the squares of each number sorted in non-decreasing order.

Example 1

Input: nums = [-4,-1,0,3,10]
Output: [0,1,9,16,100]
Explanation: After squaring, the array becomes [16,1,0,9,100]. After sorting, it becomes [0,1,9,16,100].

Example 2

Input: nums = [-7,-3,2,3,11]
Output: [4,9,9,49,121]

Constraints

  • •1 <= nums.length <= 10^4
  • •-10^4 <= nums[i] <= 10^4
  • •nums is sorted in non-decreasing order.
Show Hints (3)
Hint 1: The largest squares will come from either the smallest negative numbers or the largest positive numbers.
Hint 2: Use two pointers starting at both ends of the array.
Hint 3: Compare absolute values at both pointers, square the larger one, and place it at the end of the result array.
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