Partition List - Problem

Given the head of a linked list and a value x, partition it such that all nodes less than x come before nodes greater than or equal to x.

You should preserve the original relative order of the nodes in each of the two partitions.

Input & Output

Example 1 — Basic Partition
$ Input: head = [1,4,3,2,5,2], x = 3
Output: [1,2,2,4,3,5]
💡 Note: Nodes with values less than 3 (1, 2, 2) come before nodes greater than or equal to 3 (4, 3, 5). Original relative order is preserved within each partition.
Example 2 — Single Element
$ Input: head = [2], x = 1
Output: [2]
💡 Note: Single node with value 2 is greater than x=1, so it remains in its position.
Example 3 — All Elements Same Side
$ Input: head = [1,1,1], x = 5
Output: [1,1,1]
💡 Note: All nodes have values less than x=5, so the list remains unchanged.

Constraints

  • The number of nodes in the list is in the range [0, 200]
  • -100 ≤ Node.val ≤ 100
  • -200 ≤ x ≤ 200

Visualization

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Partition List Around x = 3Step 1: Input List143252Step 2: Partition ProcessNodes < 31 → 2 → 2Nodes ≥ 34 → 3 → 5Step 3: Final Result122435Connect
Understanding the Visualization
1
Input
Original linked list with mixed values and partition value x
2
Partition
Separate nodes into two groups: < x and >= x
3
Output
Reconnected list with all < x nodes before >= x nodes
Key Takeaway
🎯 Key Insight: Use two pointers to build separate lists for nodes < x and >= x, then connect them
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