Bottom K Cutoff Tie Partitioner
Partition a numeric bottom-K cutoff into strict selections and all tied candidates, reporting how many ties are needed without arbitrarily breaking them.
Description
Partition a numeric bottom-K cutoff into strict selections and all tied candidates, reporting how many ties are needed without arbitrarily breaking them.
A bottom-k selection can straddle a tie block. Reporting the cutoff and needed tie count avoids silently choosing tied items.
When to use this tool
Partition a numeric bottom-K cutoff into strict selections and all tied candidates, reporting how many ties are needed without arbitrarily breaking them.
- Prepare the supplied values, k fields for this operation.
- Compare the complete example with the representation used by your own input before carrying the result into another step.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter values, k. Use the exact text syntax, units and index conventions explained below.
- Run the tool. If input validation fails, correct the supplied fields before interpreting any result.
- Read result.cutoff, result.strict, result.ties, result.neededFromTies. Interpret false, null and empty lists using the distinctions below; they can be valid outputs.
Require k from zero through list length. Find the kth ascending value, return original indexes strictly below it, all indexes equal to it and k minus the strict count as neededFromTies. For k zero, cutoff is null and both lists empty.1
| Input field | Meaning and representation | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| values | values. | List of finite numbers; at most 128 entries |
| k | k. | Integer from 0 to values.length inclusive |
| Output field | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| result | Object containing the named outputs below. |
| result.cutoff | The cutoff value under the stated formula or text convention. |
| result.strict | The strict list in the ordering and representation described above. |
| result.ties | The ties list in the ordering and representation described above. |
| result.neededFromTies | The needed from ties value under the stated formula or text convention. |
{
"input": {
"values": [
3,
2,
2,
1
],
"k": 2
},
"output": {
"result": {
"cutoff": 2,
"strict": [
3
],
"ties": [
1,
2
],
"neededFromTies": 1
}
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- No members are selected from the tie block. The caller must provide a tie-breaking policy if exactly k identities are needed.
- All declared input fields are required and unexpected top-level fields are rejected. Numbers must be finite; lists are limited to 128 entries and ordinary text fields to 8,192 UTF-16 code units, with tighter limits where stated.
- JSON text inputs must parse within bounded nesting and size limits. Numeric outputs outside the safe finite range are rejected; large exact integer results use decimal strings. Indexes and half-open spans are zero-based unless a rank is explicitly described as one-based.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Choose the tie policy and whether you need values, original indexes, sorted positions or one-based ranks. Use a complete sort verifier when a local stability or adjacent-comparison check is insufficient.
References
Similar or alternative tools
- Top K Cutoff Tie Partitioner
Partition a numeric top-K cutoff into strict selections and all tied candidates, reporting how many ties are needed without arbitrarily breaking them.
- Competition Rank Tie Table
Assign one-based ascending competition numeric ranks; exact numeric ties are preserved according to the stated policy.