The answer
In real-world systems, RAM is a finite and expensive resource. Algorithms that copy massive datasets unnecessarily can crash servers with OutOfMemory errors.
Space Complexity Optimization for Extreme Values
Why do interviewers care about space complexity?
More FAQs in Space Complexity Optimization for Extreme Values
It means the algorithm requires a fixed, constant amount of extra memory, regardless of how large the input data becomes.
Because it only uses a few discrete variables (max and second_max) to track state, and never allocates new arrays or data structures.
No, converting an array to a Set to remove duplicates requires O(N) extra memory, which is inefficient compared to ignoring duplicates logically with an O(1) variable check.
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