C Program to Find the Largest Element in an Array Using Pointers

Introduction

Finding the largest element in an array is a common problem in programming. In C, you can use pointers to traverse the array and determine the largest element by comparing each element in the array. This guide will show you how to write a C program to find the largest element in an array using pointers.

Example:

  • Input: Array [1, 8, 3, 4, 5]
  • Output: The largest element is 8.

Problem Statement

Create a C program that:

  • Takes an array of integers as input from the user.
  • Uses a pointer to traverse the array and find the largest element.
  • Displays the largest element.

Solution Steps

  1. Include the Standard Input-Output Library: Use #include <stdio.h> for standard input-output functions.
  2. Declare the Array, Pointer, and Other Variables: Declare an integer array to store the elements, a pointer for traversal, and variables for input and storing the largest element.
  3. Input the Array Elements: Use a loop to take input for the array elements from the user.
  4. Find the Largest Element Using Pointers: Use a pointer to traverse the array, comparing elements to find the largest one.
  5. Display the Largest Element: Use printf to display the largest element found.

C Program to Find the Largest Element in an Array Using Pointers

#include <stdio.h> int main() { // Step 2: Declare the array, pointer, and other variables int arr[100], n; int *ptr; int largest; // Step 3: Input the number of elements and the array elements printf("Enter the number of elements: "); scanf("%d", &n); printf("Enter the elements of the array: "); for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) { scanf("%d", &arr[i]); } // Step 4: Initialize the pointer to point to the first element of the array ptr = arr; largest = *ptr; // Assume the first element is the largest // Traverse the array using the pointer for (int i = 1; i < n; i++) { ptr++; // Move the pointer to the next element if (*ptr > largest) { largest = *ptr; // Update largest if current element is greater } } // Step 5: Display the largest element printf("The largest element in the array is: %d\n", largest); return 0; // Return 0 to indicate successful execution } 

Explanation

Step 2: Declare the Array, Pointer, and Other Variables

  • The integer array arr is declared to store the elements of the array.
  • The pointer ptr is used to traverse the array.
  • The variable largest is used to store the largest element found in the array.

Step 3: Input the Array Elements

  • The program prompts the user to enter the number of elements in the array and stores this value in n.
  • A for loop is used to take input for each element of the array.

Step 4: Find the Largest Element Using Pointers

  • The pointer ptr is initialized to point to the first element of the array (arr).
  • The variable largest is initialized with the value of the first element.
  • A for loop is used to traverse the array starting from the second element:
    • The loop runs from 1 to n-1, where n is the number of elements in the array.
    • Inside the loop, the pointer ptr is incremented to point to the next element in the array.
    • The current element pointed to by ptr is compared with largest. If the current element is greater, largest is updated with the current element’s value.

Step 5: Display the Largest Element

  • The program uses printf to display the largest element found in the array.

Return 0

  • The return 0; statement indicates that the program executed successfully.

Output Example

Example Output:

Enter the number of elements: 5 Enter the elements of the array: 1 8 3 4 5 The largest element in the array is: 8 

Conclusion

This C program demonstrates how to find the largest element in an array using pointers. It covers basic concepts such as pointer manipulation, array traversal, and conditional checking, making it a useful example for beginners learning C programming.

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