C Program to find maximum and minimum number in an array

In programming, finding the maximum and minimum values in an array is a fundamental operation that is often required in various applications, such as data analysis, optimization problems, and statistics. In this article, we will explore how to write a C program that finds the maximum and minimum numbers in an array using separate functions for each operation. We will discuss the importance of using functions, provide a detailed explanation of the program's structure, and offer a complete implementation.

Understanding the Problem

Given an array of numbers, the goal is to find:

1. The maximum value in the array.
2. The minimum value in the array.

Write a C Program to find maximum and minimum number in an array

We will implement a C program that includes two functions: findMax to find the maximum value and findMin to find the minimum value in an array. These functions will take the array and its size as arguments and return the corresponding maximum and minimum values.

#include <stdio.h>

// Function to find the maximum number in an array
int findMax(int arr[], int size) {
    int max = arr[0]; // Initialize max with the first element
    for (int i = 1; i < size; i++) {
        if (arr[i] > max) {
            max = arr[i]; // Update max if the current element is greater
        }
    }
    return max;
}

// Function to find the minimum number in an array
int findMin(int arr[], int size) {
    int min = arr[0]; // Initialize min with the first element
    for (int i = 1; i < size; i++) {
        if (arr[i] < min) {
            min = arr[i]; // Update min if the current element is smaller
        }
    }
    return min;
}

int main() {
    int n;

    // Input the size of the array
    printf("Enter the number of elements in the array: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);

    int arr[n];

    // Input the elements of the array
    printf("Enter the elements of the array -\n");
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        scanf("%d", &arr[i]);
    }

    // Call the functions to find max and min
    int max = findMax(arr, n);
    int min = findMin(arr, n);

    // Output the results
    printf("The maximum number in the array is: %d\n", max);
    printf("The minimum number in the array is: %d\n", min);

    return 0;
}

Output

Enter the number of elements in the array: 5
Enter the elements of the array -
1
4
7
3
2
The maximum number in the array is: 7
The minimum number in the array is: 1

Explanation of the Code

1. Function findMax:
   • This function takes an array arr[] and its size size as parameters.
   • It initializes the max variable with the first element of the array.
   • The function iterates through the array, updating max whenever it finds an element greater than the current max.
   • It returns the maximum value found in the array.
2. Function findMin:
   • Similar to findMax, this function takes an array arr[] and its size size as parameters.
   • It initializes the min variable with the first element of the array.
   • The function iterates through the array, updating min whenever it finds an element smaller than the current min.
   • It returns the minimum value found in the array.
3. Main Function main:
   • The user is prompted to enter the number of elements in the array.
   • The elements of the array are then inputted by the user.
   • The functions findMax and findMin are called to determine the maximum and minimum values, respectively.
   • The results are displayed to the user.