Java: Sort an array of positive integers of a given array in the specified pattern

Last update on May 09 2025 12:51:31 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

50. Sort array with alternate max-min values

Write a Java program to sort an array of positive integers from an array. In the sorted array the value of the first element should be maximum, the second value should be a minimum, third should be the second maximum, the fourth should be the second minimum and so on.

Sample Pattern:

[100, 10, 90, 20, 80, 30, 70, 40, 60, 50]

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

// Import the necessary Java utility class for working with arrays.
import java.util.Arrays;
 
// Define the Main class.
public class Main
{
    // A method to rearrange an array with alternating smaller and larger elements.
    static int[] rearrange(int[] new_arra, int n)
    {
        // Create a temporary array for the rearranged elements.
        int temp[] = new int[n];
     
        // Initialize pointers for the smallest and largest elements.
        int small_num = 0, large_num = n - 1;
        // Initialize a flag for alternating between small and large elements.
        boolean flag = true;
     
        // Iterate through the array and rearrange elements.
        for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
        {
            if (flag)
                temp[i] = new_arra[large_num--];
            else
                temp[i] = new_arra[small_num++];
     
            // Toggle the flag to switch between small and large elements.
            flag = !flag;
        }
     
        return temp;
    }
 
    // The main method for executing the program.
    public static void main(String[] args) 
    {
        // Create an array of integers.
        int nums[] = new int[]{10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100};
        int result[];
         
        // Print the original array.
        System.out.println("Original Array ");
        System.out.println(Arrays.toString(nums));
         
        // Rearrange the array.
        result = rearrange(nums, nums.length);
         
        // Print the rearranged array.
        System.out.println("New Array ");
        System.out.println(Arrays.toString(result));
    }
}

Sample Output:

                                                                              
Original Array 
[10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100]
New Array 
[100, 10, 90, 20, 80, 30, 70, 40, 60, 50]

Flowchart:

Flowchart: Sort an array of positive integers of a given array in the specified pattern

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

Write a Java program to sort an array so that the first half is sorted in ascending order and the second half in descending order.
Write a Java program to rearrange an array in an alternating high-low pattern without using extra space.
Write a Java program to find the Kth largest and Kth smallest elements in an array without sorting it.
Write a Java program to sort an array of 0s, 1s, and 2s in O(n) time complexity.

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