How should I practice K Closest Points to the Origin?

Start by reading the full statement, solve the visible examples, then compare the pattern against related Meta onsite interview problems in FastPrep.

Is K Closest Points to the Origin associated with Meta?

FastPrep tags this as a Meta onsite interview coding practice problem when the problem catalog has that company and stage context.

K Closest Points to the Origin

Meta● MediumFULLTIMEONSITE INTERVIEW

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Problem statement

Each row of points is a two-dimensional integer point [x, y]. Return the k points closest to the origin (0, 0) by Euclidean distance. Compare squared distances x² + y²; taking square roots is unnecessary.

For this exercise, return the selected points in their original input order. The selected set is unique for every valid input, so no boundary tie needs to be broken.

Function

kClosest(points: int[][], k: int) → int[][]

Examples

Example 1

points = [[1,3],[-2,2]]k = 1return = [[-2,2]]

The squared distances are 10 and 8, so only the second point is selected.

Example 2

points = [[3,3],[5,-1],[-2,4]]k = 2return = [[3,3],[-2,4]]

The squared distances are 18, 26, and 20. The first and third points are closest.

Example 3

points = [[1,1],[0,1],[8,0]]k = 2return = [[1,1],[0,1]]

Both first points are selected; the returned rows retain input order even though the second point is nearer.

Constraints

1 <= k <= points.length <= 10000.
Each point has exactly two integer coordinates between -10000 and 10000.
The set of the k closest points is unique.