Minimum/maximum number problem. Please help!

**Matticus** · 07-14-2011

Step 2 TOTALLY messes up the program. Say I input 76 and 8. It puts the max number to 0 and the minimum to 8.

I think this can be fixed by removing the "else" in this statement:

Code:

            if (num < min)
            num = min;
            else if (num > max)
            num = max;

**subhash.rao** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by AndrewHunter

Post your updated code and note that the code that hash posted still has the assignments backwards.

sorry my mistake..

**AndrewHunter** · 07-14-2011

Have you learned if statements? So something like:

while num isn't 0
if num isn't 0
do all your code
loop

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by AndrewHunter

Post your updated code and note that the code that hash posted still has the assignments backwards.

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include "genlib.h"
#include "simpio.h"

int main (void)

{
      int min, max, num;
      
      printf ("This will compute the minimum and maximum number in the list. Signal the end of the list with 0.\n");
      printf ("Enter your first number: ");
      num = GetInteger();
      min = 0;
      max = 0;
      while (num!=0)
      {
            if (num < min)
            min = num;
            else if (num > max)
            max = num;
            else num = num;
            printf ("Enter your next number: ");
            num = GetInteger();
            }
            printf ("The maximum number in the list is %d.\n", max);
            printf ("The minimum number in the list is %d.\n", min);
            getchar();
      }

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by AndrewHunter

Have you learned if statements? So something like:

while num isn't 0
if num isn't 0
do all your code
loop

Yes, I have learned if statements. The rest of what you said doesn't make sense to me. Haven't I already done that?

**Matticus** · 07-14-2011

If your input is never going to be zero, you can get away with doing this (though it's sloppy):

Code:

    if ((num < min)&&(num != 0)

This will not let the value of "min" be updated if the input is zero.

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by Matticus

I think this can be fixed by removing the "else" in this statement:

Code:

            if (num < min)
            num = min;
            else if (num > max)
            num = max;

That didn't change anything.

**nonpuz** · 07-14-2011

Let me repost the ops original code block for all you "do while()er's" out there...

Code:

      num = GetInteger();
      min = 0;
      max = 0;
      while (num!=0)
      {
            if (num < min)
            num = min;
            else if (num > max)
            num = max;
            else num = num; /* btw  what is this line about? dont even have an ELSE if you dont need one */
            printf ("Enter your next number: ");
            num = GetInteger();  /* whats the next statement after this executed? */
            }

So if GetInteger is 0 it will exit, the real problem is that he is starting out with min = 0, so of course nothing will be LESS then zero, that is the whole purpose of "step 2" originally posted by subhash

The only missing problem is that the logic needs to change from "if else if" to just "if and if" ... the max should always be set despite the fact the min was set

**AndrewHunter** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by PYROMANIAC702

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include "genlib.h"
#include "simpio.h"

int main (void)

{
      int min, max, num;
      
      printf ("This will compute the minimum and maximum number in the list. Signal the end of the list with 0.\n");
      printf ("Enter your first number: ");
      num = GetInteger();
      min = 0;
      max = 0;
      while (num!=0)
      { 
           if (num < min)
                 min = num;
            else if (num > max) //NOT NEEDED
                 max = num;
            else 
                 num = num; //NOT NEEDED
            printf ("Enter your next number: ");
            num = GetInteger();
     }
     printf ("The maximum number in the list is %d.\n", max);
     printf ("The minimum number in the list is %d.\n", min);
     getchar();
}

You don't need that final else.

**Matticus** · 07-14-2011

That didn't change anything.

It does if the first value you enter is the largest, assuming you assigned "min" to an initial value much greater than zero.

EDIT: nonpuz summed this up first above.

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by Matticus

If your input is never going to be zero, you can get away with doing this (though it's sloppy):

Code:

    if ((num < min)&&(num != 0)

This will not let the value of "min" be updated if the input is zero.

No, it will not, but that is at the top of the loop so if the last number i type is 0, then it will disregard that.

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by nonpuz

Let me repost the ops original code block for all you "do while()er's" out there...

Code:

      num = GetInteger();
      min = 0;
      max = 0;
      while (num!=0)
      {
            if (num < min)
            num = min;
            else if (num > max)
            num = max;
            else num = num; /* btw  what is this line about? dont even have an ELSE if you dont need one */
            printf ("Enter your next number: ");
            num = GetInteger();  /* whats the next statement after this executed? */
            }

So if GetInteger is 0 it will exit, the real problem is that he is starting out with min = 0, so of course nothing will be LESS then zero, that is the whole purpose of "step 2" originally posted by subhash

The only missing problem is that the logic needs to change from "if else if" to just "if and if" ... the max should always be set despite the fact the min was set

Thanks! That worked. Thanks to everybody else for your time and effort.

Before when i tried it it was min = 9999 and it was if else if. With that combination it did not work, but when I changed it to if if it worked.

EDIT: I used min != 0, not min = 9999. It looks and works much better.

Final Code:

Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include "genlib.h"
#include "simpio.h"

int main (void)

{
      int min, max, num;
      
      printf ("This will compute the minimum and maximum number in the list.\nSignal the end of the list with 0.\n");
      printf ("Enter your first number: ");
      num = GetInteger();
      min != 0;
      max = 0;
      while (num!=0)
      {
            if (num < min)
            min = num;
            if (num > max)
            max = num;
            printf ("Enter your next number: ");
            num = GetInteger();
            }
            printf ("The maximum number in the list is %d.\n", max);
            printf ("The minimum number in the list is %d.\n", min);
            getchar();
      }

**nonpuz** · 07-14-2011

min != 0; is not an assignment operation its a conditional statement, resulting in NOTHING in this case. What really happened is that your "min" is now initialized to some random data (by compiler) since you didn't set it specifically equal to zero

**PYROMANIAC702** · 07-14-2011

Originally Posted by nonpuz

min != 0; is not an assignment operation its a conditional statement, resulting in NOTHING in this case. What really happened is that your "min" is now initialized to some random data (by compiler) since you didn't set it specifically equal to zero

Yes, but with 9999 it would make 9999 the biggest value the user could enter. != 0 is infinite.

**AndrewHunter** · 07-14-2011

Ok, so the easiest way to do this would be:

Code:

num = GetInteger();
max=min=num;
while.....

And != does not work as an assignment operator.

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