Task — Distribute elements

You are given an array of distinct integers, @ints.

Write a script to distribute the elements as described below:

1. Put the 1st element of the given array in a new array @arr1.
2. Put the 2nd element of the given array in a new array @arr2.

Once you have one element in each array @arr1 and @arr2, then follow the rule below:

If the last element of the array @arr1 is greater than the last element of the array @arr2 then add the next* element of the given array to @arr1 or otherwise to the array @arr2.

When done with the distribution, return the concatenated arrays @arr1 and @arr2.

* The task description says 'first' but it is clear from the examples that 'next' is intended.

Examples

Example 1
Input: @ints = (2, 1, 3, 4, 5)
Output: (2, 3, 4, 5, 1)
1st operation:
Add 1 to @arr1 = (2)
2nd operation:
Add 2 to @arr2 = (1)
3rd operation:
Now the last element of @arr1 is greater than the last 
element of @arr2, add 3 to @arr1 = (2, 3).
4th operation:
Again the last element of @arr1 is greate than the last 
element of @arr2, add 4 to @arr1 = (2, 3, 4)
5th operation:
Finally, the last element of @arr1 is again greater than 
the last element of @arr2, add 5 to @arr1 = (2, 3, 4, 5)
Now we have two arrays:
@arr1 = (2, 3, 4, 5)
@arr2 = (1)
Concatenate the two arrays and return the final array: 
(2, 3, 4, 5, 1).

Example 2
Input: @ints = (3, 2, 4)
Output: (3, 4, 2)
1st operation:
Add 1 to @arr1 = (3)
2nd operation:
Add 2 to @arr2 = (2)
3rd operation:
Now the last element of @arr1 is greater than the last 
element of @arr2, add 4 to @arr1 = (3, 4).
Now we have two arrays:
@arr1 = (3, 4)
@arr2 = (2)
Concatenate the two arrays and return the final array: 
(3, 4, 2).

Example 3
Input: @ints = (5, 4, 3 ,8)
Output: (5, 3, 4, 8)
1st operation:
Add 1 to @arr1 = (5)
2nd operation:
Add 2 to @arr2 = (4)
3rd operation:
Now the last element of @arr1 is greater than the last 
element of @arr2, add 3 to @arr1 = (5, 3).
4th operation:
Again the last element of @arr2 is greate than the last 
element of @arr1, add 8 to @arr2 = (4, 8)
Now we have two arrays:
@arr1 = (5, 3)
@arr2 = (4, 8)
Concatenate the two arrays and return the final array: 
(5, 3, 4, 8).

Analysis

There's probably some clever way of doing this in 1 or 2 lines, but I took the easy route of just following the task description.

Note that in order to have a single push in the do loop I first established a reference to the approriate array - $arr - and then dereferenced that to assign the next value to the appropriate @arr1 or @arr2.

Try it 

#!/usr/bin/perl

# Blog: http://ccgi.campbellsmiths.force9.co.uk/challenge

use v5.26;    # The Weekly Challenge - 2024-05-13
use utf8;     # Week 269 - task 2 - Distribute elements
use warnings; # Peter Campbell Smith
binmode STDOUT, ':utf8';

distribute_elements(2, 1, 3, 4, 5);
distribute_elements(3, 2, 4);
distribute_elements(5, 4, 3, 8);
distribute_elements(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10);
distribute_elements(10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1);

sub distribute_elements {

    my (@ints, @arr1, @arr2, $j, $arr);

    @ints = @_;
    
    # push the first two elements of @ints onto @arr1 and @arr2
    ($arr1[0], $arr2[0]) = @ints[0 .. 1];
    $j = 2;
    
    # push subsequent elements of @ints onto @arr1 or @arr2 
    do {
        $arr = $arr1[-1] > $arr2[-1] ? \@arr1 : \@arr2;
        push @$arr, $ints[$j];
    } until ++ $j == @ints;
    
    printf(qq[\nInput:  \@ints = (%s)\n], join(', ', @ints));
    printf(qq[Output: (%s)\n], join(', ', (@arr1, @arr2)));
}

Output

Input:  @ints = (2, 1, 3, 4, 5)
Output: (2, 3, 4, 5, 1)

Input:  @ints = (3, 2, 4)
Output: (3, 4, 2)

Input:  @ints = (5, 4, 3, 8)
Output: (5, 3, 4, 8)

Input:  @ints = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
Output: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)

Input:  @ints = (10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1)
Output: (10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 9, 7, 5, 3, 1)