Question

In the context of Health, how does removing duplicates from a sorted array work?

a) By creating a new array with unique elements.
b) By modifying the input array in-place.
c) By sorting the array in non-decreasing order.
d) By allocating extra memory for a new array.

Answer 1

Removing duplicates from a sorted array in the context of computer programming is best done by modifying the input array in-place to manage space complexity efficiently. This process involves shifting non-duplicate elements without allocating additional memory.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of algorithm optimization, particularly in computer programming, removing duplicates from a sorted array can be done in a couple of ways. However, the most efficient method in terms of space complexity is considered to be option b) By modifying the input array in-place. This approach means iterating over the sorted array and shifting the non-duplicate elements towards the beginning of the array while keeping track of the count of unique elements. No additional memory is allocated, as the changes are done within the original array, which is in contrast to option a) and d) where a new array is created and additional memory is used. Sorting the array in non-decreasing order (option c) is a prerequisite for effectively removing duplicates in-place, as it makes it easier to identify duplicates that are adjacent to each other.