Why does the Array.sort() method produce unreliable results when sorting an array of numbers?

The Array.sort() method in JavaScript, by default, converts elements to strings before comparing them. This means that when sorting an array of numbers, the method does not compare their numerical values directly. Instead, it compares their string representations, which leads to inconsistent and seemingly random results.

For example, if you have an array containing the numbers [10, 2, 1], the default sorting behavior would convert these numbers to strings: "10", "2", and "1". In string comparison, "10" comes before "2" because the comparison is based on the first character of each string. As a result, the output will be sorted as ["1", "10", "2"] instead of the expected numerical sort of [1, 2, 10].

To achieve a reliable numerical sort, a custom comparator function needs to be provided to the Array.sort() method. This function would ensure that the numbers are compared based on their actual values rather than their string representations, allowing for accurate sorting results.