Problem link - Maximum Product Difference Between Two Pairs in
Problem statement
Given an array of integers, you need to find the maximum product difference between two pairs of elements. The product difference between pairs (a, b) and (c, d) is defined as: (a * b) - (c * d).
Your task is to maximize this product difference.
Approach:
The key idea is to find the maximum and minimum possible products from pairs of elements to maximize their difference. Here’s how to do it:
- Sort the Array: Start by sorting the array. After sorting:
- The two largest numbers will be at the end of the array.
- The two smallest numbers will be at the beginning of the array.
- Calculate Products:
- Maximum Product: Multiply the two largest numbers from the sorted array (found at the last two positions).
- Minimum Product: Multiply the two smallest numbers from the sorted array (found at the first two positions).
- Compute the Difference: Subtract the minimum product from the maximum product to get the maximum product difference.
Time Complexity:
O(n log n) – Sorting the array takes O(n log n), where n is the size of the array.
Space Complexity:
O(1) – Only a few extra variables are used, making the space complexity constant.