How to Write a C Program to Find the Second Largest Number Without Using an Array

When writing a C program to find the second largest number from a list of N integer inputs, you can avoid using an array by tracking the largest and second largest values during the iteration process. This approach ensures efficient memory usage and simplicity in the code.

Program Implementation

Here is a detailed breakdown of the C program that accomplishes this task:

Below is the complete source code:

" include stdio.h include limits.h int main { int N; // Number of input integers int largest INT_MIN; // Initialize largest to INT_MIN int second_largest INT_MIN; // Initialize second_largest to INT_MIN printf("Enter the number of integers (N): "); scanf("%d", N); if (N largest) { second_largest largest; // Update second_largest to the current value of largest largest num; // Update largest to the new number } else if (num > second_largest num

Explanation

Variable Initialization: largest and second_largest are initialized to INT_MIN to handle any integer input. Input Handling: The program first asks for the number of integers N. If N is less than 2, it prompts the user to enter at least two numbers. Loop Through Inputs: The program uses a loop to read N integers. For each number, it checks against largest and second_largest to update the values accordingly. Output: After processing all numbers, it checks if second_largest has been updated from its initial value. If not, it indicates that there is no second largest number. Otherwise, it prints the second largest number.

Conclusion

This program assumes that the user will enter valid integer inputs. For a real-world scenario, error handling can be added to ensure robustness and reliability of the program.

Keywords

C programming, finding second largest number, no array