Question

(This exercise is for those who have studied the optional section entitled "File Names as Input." ) Suppose you are given the following string variable declaration and input statement. #include using namespace std; // ... char name[21]; cout >> name; Suppose this code segment is embedded in a correct program. What is the longest name that can be entered into the string variable name?

Short answer

Answer: The longest name that can be entered into the character array is 20 characters long.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the code

The given code segment declares a character array "name" of length 21. It then takes the input for the name variable using the "cin" statement. The most important thing to remember here is that C++ strings must end with a null terminator '\0' to mark the end of the string.

Identify critical information

In this exercise, our key focus is on the length of the character array "name", which is 21. Therefore, we need to ensure that the longest name input should occupy the first 20 elements of the character array, and the last element should be reserved for the null terminator '\0'.

Calculating the maximum length of the name

Since the character array has length 21 and one element is reserved for the null terminator '\0', the maximum number of characters that can be stored in the array is 21 - 1 = 20.

Conclusion

The longest name that can be entered into the string variable name is 20 characters long, as the 21st element of the array must be reserved for the null terminator '\0'.