C Program to Find the Largest Element in an Array

Introduction

Finding the largest element in an array is a common task in programming. This guide will show you how to write a C program to identify the largest element in an array provided by the user.

Problem Statement

Create a C program that:

• Takes the size of the array as input from the user.
• Takes the elements of the array as input.
• Finds the largest element in the array.
• Displays the largest element.

Example:

• Input: Array size = 5, Elements = [1, 22, 13, 44, 5]
• Output: Largest element = 44

Solution Steps

1. Include the Standard Input-Output Library: Use #include <stdio.h> to include the standard input-output library, which is necessary for using printf and scanf functions.
2. Write the Main Function: Define the main function, which is the entry point of every C program.
3. Declare Variables: Declare variables to store the array size, the array elements, and the largest element.
4. Input the Array Size: Use scanf to take input from the user for the size of the array.
5. Input the Array Elements: Use a loop to take input from the user for the elements of the array.
6. Find the Largest Element: Use a loop to iterate through the array and find the largest element.
7. Display the Largest Element: Use printf to display the largest element.

C Program

#include <stdio.h>

/**
 * C Program to Find the Largest Element in an Array
 * Author: https://www.javaguides.net/
 */
int main() {
    // Step 1: Declare variables to hold the array size, elements, and largest element
    int n, largest;

    // Step 2: Prompt the user to enter the size of the array
    printf("Enter the number of elements in the array: ");
    scanf("%d", &n);

    // Step 3: Declare an array to hold the elements
    int arr[n];

    // Step 4: Input the array elements
    printf("Enter %d elements:\n", n);
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        scanf("%d", &arr[i]);
    }

    // Step 5: Initialize the largest variable with the first element of the array
    largest = arr[0];

    // Step 6: Find the largest element in the array
    for (int i = 1; i < n; i++) {
        if (arr[i] > largest) {
            largest = arr[i];
        }
    }

    // Step 7: Display the largest element
    printf("Largest element in the array: %d\n", largest);

    return 0;  // Step 8: Return 0 to indicate successful execution
}

Explanation

Step 1: Declare Variables

• The variable n is declared to store the size of the array. largest will store the largest element found in the array.

Step 2: Input the Array Size

• The program prompts the user to enter the size of the array using printf. The scanf function then reads the input and stores it in the variable n.

Step 3: Declare the Array

• The program declares an array arr of size n to hold the elements provided by the user.

Step 4: Input the Array Elements

• The program uses a for loop to take input for each element of the array. The loop iterates from 0 to n-1, reading the elements using scanf.

Step 5: Initialize the Largest Variable

• The program initializes the variable largest with the first element of the array, arr[0]. This assumes that the first element is the largest, and it will be updated as the program checks the other elements.

Step 6: Find the Largest Element in the Array

• The program uses another for loop to iterate through the array starting from the second element (index 1). For each element, it checks if the element is greater than the current value of largest. If it is, largest is updated to that element’s value.

Step 7: Display the Largest Element

• The program displays the largest element found in the array using the printf function.

Step 8: Return 0

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

Output Example

Example:

Enter the number of elements in the array: 5
Enter 5 elements:
1
22
13
44
5
Largest element in the array: 44

Conclusion

This C program demonstrates how to find the largest element in an array. It covers basic concepts such as arrays, loops, and conditional statements, making it a useful example for beginners learning C programming.