# 215 Kth Largest Element in an Array

Find the **k**th largest element in an unsorted array. Note that it is the kth largest element in the sorted order, not the kth distinct element.

For example,\
Given`[3,2,1,5,6,4]`and k = 2, return 5.

**Note:**\
You may assume k is always valid, 1 ≤ k ≤ array's length.

**The Idea:** Maintain the k largest elements using a min heap. If next element is larger top of the heap (minimum), then replace that element with the next largest element. In the end, the top of queue should have kth largest element where all the remaining elements in the queue are larger than it.

**Complexity:** O(nlog(k)) time and O(k) space

```python
from queue import PriorityQueue


class Solution:
    def findKthLargest(self, nums, k):
        """
        :type nums: List[int]
        :type k: int
        :rtype: int
        """

        pq = PriorityQueue()
        for i, num in enumerate(nums):
            if pq.qsize() == k and pq.queue[0] < num:
                pq.get()
                pq.put(num)
            elif pq.qsize() < k:
                pq.put(num)
        return pq.queue[0]
```


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://maksimdan.gitbook.io/interview-practice-problems/leetcode_sessions/215-kth-largest-element-in-an-array.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.