Maximum Product of Three Numbers Easy 0 attempts
LeetCode ↗

Maximum Product of Three Numbers

Easy MatrixBFSDFS LeetCode

You're given an integer array nums. Pick any three numbers from it whose product is as large as possible, and return that product. Since the array can hold negative values too, the best product might actually come from multiplying the two smallest (most negative) numbers with the single largest positive one.

Input Format
Implement maximumProductOfThreeNumbers(nums). Inputs below show JavaScript function arguments; there is no stdin parsing.
Output Format
Return the result described in the statement.

Sample Input and Output

Example 1 ยท Run Sample

Input
nums = [1,2,3,4]
Output
24

Example 2

Input
nums = [-4,-3,-2,1,60]
Output
720
Constraints
  • 3 <= nums.length <= 10^4
  • -1000 <= nums[i] <= 1000
Test Cases (2)
Case 1
Args: [[1,2,3,4]] Expected: 24
Case 2
Args: [[-4,-3,-2,1,60]] Expected: 720
Topics
MatrixBFSDFS

Approach: Sort and Compare

Sort the array. The maximum product is either from the three largest numbers, or from the two smallest (most negative) numbers multiplied by the largest. Compare both candidates.

javascript
function maximumProductOfThreeNumbers(nums) {
  nums.sort((a, b) => a - b);
  const n = nums.length;
  return Math.max(
    nums[n-1] * nums[n-2] * nums[n-3],
    nums[0] * nums[1] * nums[n-1]
  );
}

Time Complexity: O(n log n)

Space Complexity: O(1)

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JavaScript