#1877
Minimize Maximum Pair Sum in Array
medium · verified · 83.3% accepted · 2,367 likes · top 95%
array · two pointers · greedy · sorting
Description
The pair sum of a pair (a,b) is equal to a + b. The maximum pair sum is the largest pair sum in a list of pairs.
- For example, if we have pairs (1,5), (2,3), and (4,4), the maximum pair sum would be max(1+5, 2+3, 4+4) = max(6, 5, 8) = 8.
Given an array nums of even length n, pair up the elements of nums into n / 2 pairs such that:
- Each element of nums is in exactly one pair, and
- The maximum pair sum is minimized.
Return the minimized maximum pair sum after optimally pairing up the elements.
Example 1:
Input: nums = [3,5,2,3]
Output: 7
Explanation: The elements can be paired up into pairs (3,3) and (5,2).
The maximum pair sum is max(3+3, 5+2) = max(6, 7) = 7.
Example 2:
Input: nums = [3,5,4,2,4,6]
Output: 8
Explanation: The elements can be paired up into pairs (3,5), (4,4), and (6,2).
The maximum pair sum is max(3+5, 4+4, 6+2) = max(8, 8, 8) = 8.
Solution