Arrange Negative Numbers First | Dataford Interview Questions

Josh Technology's test-data utilities need to group invalid measurements, represented by negative integers, before valid measurements. Rearrange the input array so that every negative number appears before every non-negative number, while preserving the relative order within both groups.

Modify the array in place and return it. The function must run in O(n) time. You may use O(n) auxiliary space for a stable linear-time solution.

Formal Specification

Input: nums, a mutable array of integers.
Output: The same array object, rearranged so all values < 0 precede all values >= 0.
Stability: If two values belong to the same group, their original relative order must remain unchanged.
Mutation: The input array must be updated rather than replaced only through a local variable.

Constraints

0 <= nums.length <= 10^5
-10^9 <= nums[i] <= 10^9
Zero is considered non-negative
Duplicate values are allowed

Function Signature

def arrange_negatives_first(nums):

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