Thread: Needing a little bit of help with finding the minimum value

For one of my intro to C++ assignments, I must write code where a group of athletes performances is judged by a variable number of judges. The performance score of the athletes is obtained by rejecting both the lowest and the highest score, and taking the average of the remaining scores. I have most of it figured out I think, however the minimum score is a bit over my head; the max score can be reset to 0, for following athletes to be judged, but the minimum cannot, because no score will be less than 0 to be picked up as a low score. My code:

Code:

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main ()
{
    int athleteid, numjudges, startjudges, scorecard;
    double score, total, average, min, min2, max=0;
   cout.setf(ios::fixed,ios::floatfield);
   cout.precision (1);
   cout << "Welcome to the athlete performance score program" << endl;
   cout << "To start, please enter the athlete ID> ";
   cin >> athleteid;
       while (athleteid > 0)
       {
             scorecard=1;
             cout << "How many judges gave entered a score?> ";
             cin >> numjudges;
             for (startjudges=1; startjudges <= numjudges; startjudges++)
             {
             cout << "Please enter score " << scorecard << ">";
             cin >> score;
             if (score > max)
              {
                 max = score;
                 }  
             if (score < min)
             {
                min = score;
                }
             total = total+score;
             scorecard++;
             }
             average= (total-(max+min))/(numjudges-2);
             cout << "The average is " << average << endl;
             total=0;
             max=0;
             min=(I get stuck here);
             cout << "Finished. Enter next athlete ID, 0 to finish> ";
             cin >> athleteid;
       }
           system("pause");
}

Everything works out well for the most part, but I have no clue on how to reset the min variable, to pick up the lowest number again while the loop goes back around.

Any help would be appreciated.

I'm trying to follow.

My min variable works the first time around, and I did not have to compare it to 0. However, when the loop comes back around again to judge the next athlete, the min integer is still holding a value from a previous judged athlete. My problem is resetting min for the next loop. Resetting it to 0 won't help like it would for total, and max, because it does the exact opposite.

I tried. Honestly I'm just not understanding it. If you could be a bit more informative I'd greatly appreciate it.

Okay. 6 is less than 8. 6 is not less than 2, thus 2 is the newest low number. 2 is less than 9. 2 is not lower than 1, thus 1 is the newest low number. 1 is less than 9. 1 is less than 6.

Now lets say I have a new deck of cards, where my mind is supposed to keep a clean slate in terms of the lowest number. But I can't shake it off. Now, the deck of cards is 4, 2, 6, 7, 10, 3. I won't be able to pick a low number from these because I can't shake off the 1 as the lowest number from my last batch of cards. Thus, I accidentally pick 1 as the lowest number, even if it wasn't part of this new batch of cards.

See the problem?

Because I have no idea how to go through the loop again without looking at the minimum of the integer from the loop prior. Sheesh, forget it. Obviously I'm not going to get any help here no matter how many times I say I can't figure out. What's the point of reaching out for help if all I get is "think logically" no matter how many times I say it's out of my reach? How people get help here is beyond me.

Thanks anyway.

Well, I feel kind of stupid, now. I just set the min afterward to 11, as the range of input numbers will always be less than that. How did I somehow miss that? Sheesh.

I don't know if that's what you two were getting to, but I suppose that's one way to fix it.

Thanks for the input, guys.

Nope. It's from a totally new batch of cards. Are you saying I should apply a new variable for min for each new batch of cards? Because I do not know how that's done within a loop.

Because 0 was never part of the batch to begin with. I always knew that, that's why I knew it wouldn't work to be reset to that. 0 would always be the lowest number. I just brought 0 up because that's how it works to reset integers max, and total. I'm still trying to understand what you're getting at.