Iteration program

Question

I have written the following code:

#include <stdio.h>

/* max_number.c: outputs the largest number of five numbers entered */

void main(void) {
  int i, num, max;

  for (i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    printf("Enter a number: ");
    scanf("%d", &num);

    if (num >= max)
      max = num;
  }
  printf("The maximum number is %d\n", max);
}

When I run the program with any type of data I continually get "The maximum number is 14". Can someone please point me in the direction of what I am doing wrong? Thank you!

AlexD · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-20 20:40:22Z

4

Variable max is not initialized.

Try

int i, num, max = INT_MIN;

answered Sep 20, 2014 at 20:40

AlexD

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4 Comments

Holly Over a year ago

Exactly. The 14 must come from somewhere deterministic, but it is the uninitialized value.

MatthewS Over a year ago

Interesting. Why would not initializing max to a value cause the program to give me that kind of output? Thank you!

AlexD Over a year ago

@user3727648 Uninitialized variable still has some value. I would not be surprised if max just happens to have value 14 in your case. And if all you input is less or equal to 14, then it is the final result.

MatthewS Over a year ago

Thank you all for your help and explanation.

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