Question

The process of finding the largest value is used frequently in computer applications. For example, a program that determines the winner of a sales contest would input the number of units sold by each salesperson. The salesperson who sells the most units wins the contest. Write a pseudocode program, then a Java application that inputs a series of 10 integers and determines and prints the largest integer. Your program should use at least the following three variables: a) counter: A counter to count to 10 (i.e., to keep track of how many numbers have been input and to determine when all 10 numbers have been processed). b) number: The integer most recently input by the user. c) largest: I he largest number found so far.

Short answer

Initialize 'counter' to 0, 'largest' to the minimum integer value, and loop 10 times reading an integer 'number' each iteration. Replace 'largest' with 'number' if 'number' is greater, then print 'largest' after the loop.

Step-by-step solution

Initialize Variables

Begin by declaring three variables: 'counter' to track the number of inputs, 'number' to hold the current input, and 'largest' to keep the largest number found so far. Initialize 'counter' to 0, and 'largest' to the minimum integer value so all valid inputs will be larger.

Create a Loop to Process Inputs

Implement a loop that runs exactly 10 times. The loop will increment the 'counter' each iteration and prompt the user to enter an integer. The loop reads the input and assigns it to the variable 'number'.

Determine If the Current Number is the Largest

Within the loop, use an 'if' statement to check whether the current 'number' input by the user is greater than the current 'largest' number. If it is, update 'largest' to this new value.

End The Loop After 10 Iterations

Close the loop after it has successfully run 10 times, which means that 'counter' reaches 10. At this point, all inputs have been processed.

Output the Largest Number

Print the value stored in 'largest', which is the greatest of all the numbers inputted by the user.

Pseudocode

Here is the corresponding pseudocode based on the above steps:1. Initialize 'counter' to 0 and 'largest' to the smallest integer value.2. Loop from 1 to 10 (inclusive): a. Prompt the user to enter a number. b. Read the input 'number'. c. If 'number' is greater than 'largest', set 'largest' to 'number'. d. Increment 'counter'.3. Print 'largest' as the largest number entered.

Java Program

public class LargestNumberFinder { public static void main(String[] args) { Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in); int counter = 0, number, largest = Integer.MIN_VALUE; while(counter < 10) { System.out.print('Enter a number: '); number = scanner.nextInt(); if(number > largest) { largest = number; } counter++; } System.out.println('The largest number entered is ' + largest); }}

Key concepts

Pseudocode

Pseudocode represents a high-level description of a computer program's operations. It is meant to be human-readable and not limited by the syntax of any particular programming language. To that end, it uses plain language to describe the steps needed to accomplish a task.

Pseudocode acts as a bridge between the problem-solving phase and the actual coding phase. Building from the given exercise, one would prepare a pseudocode outline before writing the Java application. The importance of pseudocode lies in its simplicity and clarity; it enables programmers to focus on program logic without worrying about syntax errors. With pseudocode, one can easily outline the program flow, decision structures, looping, and variable management before implementing the code in Java.

Example of a Pseudocode for Finding the Largest Number

• Start
• Set counter to 0
• Set largest to the smallest possible integer value
• While counter is less than 10
•    Prompt for number input
•    Read number
•    If number is greater than largest, set largest to number
•    Increment counter by 1
• End While
• Print largest
• End

This structured approach ensures that programmers can spot logical errors early in the design process.

Java Programming

Java is an object-oriented programming language that is widely-used for a variety of applications, from web development to mobile apps and enterprise software. Java's strength lies in its portability, which allows programs written in Java to run on any device or operating system with a Java Virtual Machine (JVM).

Java programming conventions encourage the practice of writing 'clean' code, which is easy to read and maintain. This is not only valuable for the individual programmer but also for teams of developers who collaborate on projects. When working with Java, programmers regularly deal with classes, methods, data types, and control flow constructs, such as loops and conditional statements.

For instance, the exercise underlines the use of a 'while' loop to iterate through user inputs and an 'if' statement to compare values in search of the largest number. Java's syntax requires strict type declarations and error handling, ensuring that programs behave predictably at runtime.

Conditional Statements

Conditional statements are fundamental to programming as they allow the code to make decisions and execute certain parts conditionally. In Java, these include 'if', 'else if', 'else', 'switch', and 'ternary' operators.

The primary use of a conditional statement is to perform different actions based on various conditions. In the context of the provided exercise, an 'if' statement is used to compare the current number input with the current largest value. Based on this condition, the program decides whether to update the 'largest' value.

Conditional statements consist of a condition and a block of code that runs if the condition is true. It's essential to understand that the condition needs to produce a boolean value, which can be a direct boolean (like 'true' or 'false') or an expression that evaluates to a boolean.

Correct implementation of conditional statements is critically important since logical errors could result in unwanted behavior or incorrect output. Deliberate planning and testing can mitigate such issues.

Variables in Java

Variables are the basic building blocks in any programming language, allowing programmers to store, modify, and retrieve data. In Java, each variable has a specific type, which dictates the size and layout of the variable's memory, the range of its values, and the set of operations that can be applied to it.

For example, the exercise uses the variable 'counter' as an integer to track the amount of user inputs, while 'number' and 'largest' also store integer values, representing the current input and the largest value found respectively. The choice of the correct variable type ('int' in this case) is pivotal because it impacts the efficiency and correctness of the program.

Variables in Java must be declared before they are used, which provides a clear contract of what a variable represents throughout the code. Additionally, variables have a scope that defines their visibility and lifecycle within the program. Understanding scope is essential to avoid errors such as referencing variables out of scope or accidental shadowing.