Intervals: merge overlapping ranges and preserve deterministic ordering

Intervals: Merge all overlapping or touching closed intervals and return the merged intervals ordered by start, then end.

Input: A JSON object { "intervals": [number, number][] } where each pair is [start, end].

Output: A JSON array of non-overlapping [start, end] pairs.

Constraints:

0 <= intervals.length <= 100000
Every interval satisfies start <= end
Intervals are closed, so [1,2] and [2,3] merge

Read one JSON value from stdin and print exactly one JSON-serialized answer to stdout with no extra text.

Difficulty: MEDIUM. Variant: 20. Expect follow-up questions about complexity, edge cases, and alternative approaches.

Practice context

This coding (algo) exercise trains prompt interpretation, explicit assumptions, a concrete response, and a concise explanation of the decisions made. It is marked medium difficulty.

The signed-in workspace provides the tools required by the

What this task practices

This coding (algo) exercise trains the same sequence expected in an interview: understand the prompt, make assumptions explicit, produce a concrete answer, and explain the decisions behind it. The task is marked medium difficulty. The private workspace adds the tools required by this round, such as recording, code execution, diagrams, evidence panels, or structured notes. It also preserves the attempt so later feedback can be compared with previous work. Evaluation is based on task-specific criteria and the candidate seniority selected in the preparation path. Public pages never expose the reference solution, hidden tests, evaluator instructions, or another candidate’s work.