Find Closest Number to Zero

Problem Description

Given an integer array nums of size n, return the number with the value closest to 0 in nums. If there are multiple answers, return the number with the largest value.

Key Insights

• The problem requires finding the number closest to zero, which involves calculating the absolute values of the numbers.
• In cases where two numbers are equally close to zero, the larger number should be preferred.
• The solution can be implemented with a single pass through the array, maintaining a variable to store the closest number found.

Space and Time Complexity

Time Complexity: O(n)
Space Complexity: O(1)

Solution

To solve the problem, we can iterate through the array and keep track of the closest number to zero. We will use a simple comparison to update our closest number based on the absolute value and value itself to ensure we return the larger number in case of ties.

1. Initialize a variable to hold the closest number (closest) with a value of None or an appropriate initial value.
2. Traverse each element in the array:
   • Calculate the absolute value of the current number.
   • If closest is None or the absolute value of the current number is less than that of closest, update closest.
   • If the absolute value is the same but the current number is greater than closest, update closest.
3. Return the closest number once all elements have been considered.

Code Solutions