Technical Question from Mock Interview with Funnel interviewer Bradley Gunn

biggest_loss

def biggest_loss(prices)
  max_loss = 0
  
  prices.each_with_index do |px1, day|          # n days as index
    for px2 in prices[day+1..-1]                # iterate through all days once
      potential_loss = px1 - px2                # buy at price 1 and sell at price 2
        if potential_loss > max_loss
          max_loss = potential_loss
        end
      end
    end
  max_loss
end

test_1 = [ 14, 1, 18, 23, 12, 8, 16 ]
test_2 = [ 18, 5, 19, 7 ]

biggest_loss(test_1)
# => 15

biggest_loss(test_2)
# => 13


# Let’s say you are given an array of n integers, which represents the prices 
# of a stock over n consecutive days.
# Please write a function in the language of your choice that returns the 
# biggest loss you could incur over those n days by buying high and selling low.

# For example: if the array contains |14|1|18|23|12|8|16|, then the biggest 
# possible loss is $15 (buying at $23 and selling at $8).