Integer powers program Java help needed - java

So i was getting this program in my book and tested it, it worked fine. I need help though understanding how it excactly works. I know the power of two means for example 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 512. Well, here is the program:
// Compute integer powers of 2.
class Power {
public static void main(String args[]) {
int e;
int result;
for(int i=0; i < 10; i++) {
result = 1;
e = i;
while(e > 0) {
result *= 2;
e--;
}
System.out.println("2 to the " + i + " power is " + result);
}
}
}
So i've learned that result *=2 means: result = result * 2. I don't get how this works. Example, i is now 4. Result = 1 again, e=i, so e is now 4. 4 is higher than 0, so the while loop runs. Then it say's result is result * 2, but that's 1=1 * 2 = 2. But the result should be 16. How does result changes here to 16? Because it is 1 all the time. I don't get it. Also, why the e-- part? I've tried the program with e++, but then it prints result as 1 and after this only 0. Also tried it without e-- or e++ at all, but then it freezes in the dos-prompt. Please note that i am a beginner and this is my first while loop. Any help i would appreciate.

while(e > 0) {
result * = 2;
e--;
}
this loop executes untill the e becomes zero.
so in first loop
result = 1 * 2;
in second loop
result = result * 2; means result = 2 * 2
likewise.

You are using nested loops. That is, a while loop inside a for loop. This means that for every iteration of for loop, while loop will execute until it's condition becomes false.
Now coming to your questions, for first iteration of for, i = 0. Which means that e = 0, which in-turn means that while loop will not execute. So, result is 1 here, which is logical since any n^0 = 1.
For second iteration of for, i = 1. Which means that e = 1. Here, while loop will run for 1 iteration. It will make result = 2 (result *= 2). So, result is 2 because 2^1 = 2.
Below is the dry-run table.
for i while e result
loop loop
1 0 1 0 1
2 1 1 1 2
3 2 1 2 2
1 2 1 4
4 3 1 3 2
2 2 2 4
1 3 1 8
and so on. This table seems ugly, but it will give you a hint.
How does result changes here to 16? Because it is 1 all the time.
Result is only initialized with 1, but it's value is multiplied each time while loop executes.
I've tried the program with e++, but then it prints result as 1 and
after this only 0.
If you put e++ instead of e--, this loop will run until e overflows. But as soon value of e reaches 33, result will become 0 due to multiplication. And after that, it will remain 0.
Also tried it without e-- or e++ at all, but then it freezes in the
dos-prompt.
It means that your condition of while loop will never become false, and hence, it will be an infinite loop.

Related

While statements example in "Java, a Beginner's Guide"

public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int e;
int result;
for(int i =0; i <10; i++){
result = 1;
e = i;
while(e > 0){
result *= 2;
e--;
}
System.out.println("2 to the " + i + " power is " + result);
}
}
}
I am going through Java, A Beginner's Guide, by Herbert Schildt. I am unclear on the above code. When i is set to zero on the first iteration, the while statement is skipped because e will be set to zero and the while condition will not be true. Thus i will be 1 and result will be 1 and this answer will be printed out.
In the second iteration, i and e will be 1, thus the while statement will be executed because e > 1 and the result will therefore be 2. So far, so good. However, e is decremented by 1 after the result is calculated so now e is back to 0.
The third iteration where i is set to 2 is where I am getting lost. Since e is now zero again, what happens on this iteration? Doesn't the program get kicked out of the while loop and go back to the beginning again since the while condition is no longer true? If so, doesn't result get set back to 1, which will have result being equal to 2 again instead of 4 after the while loop for i = 2 is run?
I understand the program in all subsequent iterations of i since e will not be set back to zero again after it gets past this third iteration. But I'm confused as to why the cumulative result isn't lost as a consequence of decrementing e back to zero after the second iteration.
Thanks for the help.
The while cycle is inside the for cycle. Let's study the while cycle first. It will multiply result with 2 and decrement e while e is bigger than 0, essentially, the result will be
initial value * 2^i
now, the for cycle goes from 0 to 10 and in each iteration initializes result with 1 and e with i (the power). It will calculate 2^i in each iteration except the very first, where i is 0 and therefore e>0 will be false. And the iteration will println the result in the end.
When i is set to zero on the first iteration, the while statement is
skipped because e will be set to zero and the while condition will not
be true.
That's correct.
In the second iteration, i and e will be 1, thus the while statement
will be executed because e > 1 and the result will therefore be 2. So
far, so good. However, e is decremented by 1 after the result is
calculated so now e is back to 0.
That's correct (if you meant e > 0 there).
The third iteration where i is set to 2 is where I am getting lost.
Since e is now zero again, what happens on this iteration? Doesn't the
program get kicked out of the while loop and go back to the beginning
again since the while condition is no longer true? If so, doesn't
result get set back to 1, which will have result being equal to 2
again instead of 4 after the while loop for i = 2 is run?
Incorrect. e is 0 indeed, but only until the line of
e = i;
where the value of i, which is 2 will be assigned to e. So e will be 2 at the start of the while loop and the while condition will be true twice, therefore you will have two iterations for the while loop.
I understand the program in all subsequent iterations of i since e
will not be set back to zero again after it gets past this third
iteration. But I'm confused as to why the cumulative result isn't lost
as a consequence of decrementing e back to zero after the second
iteration.
Incorrect. e will be 0 at the end of each iteration of the while loop, but it will be i before each while loop.
In the second iteration, i and e will be 1, thus the while statement
will be executed because e > 1 and the result will therefore be 2. So
far, so good. However, e is decremented by 1 after the result is
calculated so now e is back to 0.
Because e > 0, but apart from that, this is exactly right.
The third iteration where i is set to 2 is where I am getting lost.
Since e is now zero again, what happens on this iteration?
for(int i =0; i <10; i++){
result = 1;
e = i;
while(e > 0){
result *= 2;
e--;
}
System.out.println("2 to the " + i + " power is " + result);
}
You're correct in thinking that after the second iteration of the for loop, e will be 0. But there's this beautiful line at the beginning: e = i;
In the third iteration, i will be 2, which means after e = i (and right before the while), e will be set to 2. Not 0.

Why is while loop treated true if condition is false?

I am trying to do in Java:
int i=5;
while(i-- >0) {
System.out.println(i);
}
When running this program the output is:
4
3
2
1
0
I am very surprised to see 0 in output. I am new in development. Can anyone justify this?
In your while condition i-- > 0, the variable i is evaluated first and then decremented.
When i reaches the value 1, it will pass the loop test and then get decremented to 0. This is why the print statement shows 0 in the output.
Here is a mnemonic you can use to keep track of how the decrement and increment operators work:
int i = 5;
System.out.println("When i = 5 then:");
System.out.println("i-- is " + i--);
i = 5;
System.out.println("--i is " + --i);
Output:
When i = 5 then:
i-- is 5
--i is 4
Simply, because you compare i>0 and decrement i afterwards.
// If I is 1, you compare 1>0 and decrement i afterwards.
// This is how the postdecrement operator works
while(i-- >0) {
System.out.println(i);
}
the loop will behave like the following.
is i=5 > 0?
decrement i to 4
output i = 4.
is i=4 > 0?
decrement i to 3
output i = 3.
...
and so on
As you can see the value you compare to 0 is allways higher then the one you are outputing. This happens due to how the -- operator works. If it´s preceding to the i as --i it will decrement the variable i first and return it´s value afterwards. If it´s not preceding as in your case i-- you will have the value of i returned first and i beeing decremented afterwards.
Postdecrement/Increment operator works on the principle "Use first and then Change"
Initially value of i=5, when it enters while loop it will compare value of i first and then it prints the decremented value. Here i will show you each iteration along with checks performed in each iteration,
Now value of i=5(in memory), inside while(5>0), it prints 4.
Now value of i=4(in memory), inside while(4>0), it prints 3.
Now value of i=3(in memory), inside while(3>0), it prints 2.
Now value of i=2(in memory), inside while(2>0), it prints 1.
Now value of i=1(in memory), inside while(1>0), it prints 0.
Hope now you are clear to go ahead. Gud Luck.
The post-decrement operator -- is like a post-paid service. Like a credit card, first you use, then you pay.
I thought I can give you a real-life idea of what really is occurring in this statement, when i == 1
while(i-- >0)
So, first you check if i(1)>0. 1>0 So, yes it is. Right after this statement is done, i becomes 0. Then, you print that value.
Alternatively, you might also get this intuition by noticing that although your loop started with i=5, the value 5 never got printed.
Since you are using the post-decrement operator in the while loop, when i is 1, i-- returns 1, and then inside the loop you get 0 when you print i for the last time.
Only because of post decrement operator (i--) will check the condition first then decrease the value of i. Output is giving such. Thank you
int i=5; //initialize with 5
while(i-- >0) { //post decrements operator so, check condition first then decrease the value.
System.out.println(i);
}
In first iteration of while loop will check 5 > 0 will be checked after that decrease the value of i and i will become 4 So, Print it 4 not 5.
When i = 5 conditional statement will be (5>0) (true) and print 4.
i = 4 conditional statement will be (4>0) (true) and print 3.
i = 3 conditional statement will be (3>0) (true) and print 2.
i = 2 conditional statement will be (2>0) (true) and print 1.
i = 1 conditional statement will be (1>0) (true) and print 0.
Now, i became 0 so conditional statement will be (0>0) (False).
So, loop exits.
To get desired output try this
while(--i >0) {
System.out.println(i);
}

Java while loop nested in a for loop.

I have this simple code sample that I don't understand.
// Compute integer powers of 2.
class Power {
public static void main (String args[]) {
int e, result;
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
result = 1;
e = i;
while (e > 0) {
result *= 2;
e--;
}
System.out.println("2 to the " + i + " power is " + result);
}
}
}
Producing this output.
2 to the 0 power is 1
2 to the 1 power is 2
2 to the 2 power is 4
2 to the 3 power is 8
2 to the 4 power is 16
2 to the 5 power is 32
2 to the 6 power is 64
2 to the 7 power is 128
2 to the 8 power is 256
2 to the 9 power is 512
Questions:
How come result is not always 2, since it's being re-initialized every time the for loop is entered?
The e-- decrement doesn't do a thing either, does it? Since, again, e is being set equal to i afresh on every iteration.
Thanks.
How come result is not always 2, since it's being re-initialized every
time the for loop is entered?
Yes, it is being re-initialized but only in the first loop. Your inner loop is looping while(e > 0) and double result at each iteration. Then once you are done looping, you pring the result and restart. The value of result will depend on e which define the number of times result is doubled.
The e-- decrement doesn't do a thing either, does it? Since, again, e
is being set equal to i afresh on every iteration.
Again, yes it is being set back to i at each iteration but that doesn't mean it is useless. At each iteration, e is set back to the new value of i, and then you use it to create an inner loop while e > 0 where at each iteration you decrement e of 1 and double the result.
The two questions kind of go together.
You see, e is set to i which is actually INCREASED each iteration.
And the higher e is, the more often the inner while will be worked through.
So for example in your 3rd for iteration
i = 2
e = 2
result = 1
So first while:
result = result*2 = 1*2 = 2
e = 1
e is still > 0 so after the second while:
result = result*2 = 2*2 = 4
e = 0
And there we go.
e-- did something twice and result is NOT 2.
result and e are re-initialized at the top of the for loop, but are modified within the while loop before result is displayed at the bottom of the for loop.

Does anyone know how to work this out? [closed]

Closed. This question needs debugging details. It is not currently accepting answers.
Edit the question to include desired behavior, a specific problem or error, and the shortest code necessary to reproduce the problem. This will help others answer the question.
Closed 7 years ago.
Improve this question
What output is produced by the following program?
The answer says 7 but i have trouble working it out.
public class practice {
public static void main(String[] args){
int i = 5;
int b = g(i);
System.out.println(b+i);
}
public static int f(int i) {
int n = 0;
while (n * n <= i) {n++;}
return n-1;
}
public static int g(int a) {
int b = 0;
int j = f(a);
b = b + j;
return b;
}
}
I assume main is getting called. Here is a list of steps that happen
g gets called with 5 as its parameter.
then in function g, f gets called with g's parameter, which is 5
In function f n is set to zero, a while loop is called and every time n*n is less than or equal to its parameter, which is 5, n is incremented. below outlines the while loop.
0*0 is less than 5, increment n from 0 to 1 and continue.
1*1 is less than 5, increment n from 1 to 2 and continue.
2*2 is less than 5, increment n from 2 to 3 and continue.
3*3 is not less than 5, break out of the loop.
n-1, which is 3-1=2, gets returned back to where it was called, in variable j in function g.
b gets assigned to b+j which is 0+2.
b gets returned back to variable b in function main.
b+i, which is 5+2, which is 7, gets printed as the answer.
Your using a number (5) and basically checking what is the first whole number squared that equals more than than 5. Then you negate 1 from the answer and add 5.
So here is the maths:
1. Find the first whole number squared that is larger than 5
0*0 = 0 //+1
1*1 = 1 //+1
2*2 = 4 //+1
3*3 = 9 //3*3 is the first value over 5; loop breaks
2. Negate 1 from 3 (the first whole number when squared that is larger than
3 - 1 = 2; //using 3, negate 1 (also could have used n--)
3. Using the final value 2 add 5
2 + 5 = 7 //using 2 add 5
Answer is 7.
There is some really unnecessary stuff in this code, such as the two extra methods.

Time complexity for two pieces of code

We've got 2 pieces of code:
int a = 3;
while (a <= n) {
a = a * a;
}
And:
public void foo(int n, int m) {
int i = m;
while (i > 100)
i = i / 3;
for (int k = i ; k >= 0; k--) {
for (int j = 1; j < n; j*=2)
System.out.print(k + "\t" + j);
System.out.println();
}
}
What is the time complexity of them?
I think that the first one is: O(logn), because it's progressing to N with power of 2.
So maybe it's O(log2n) ?
And the second one I believe is: O(nlog2n), because it's progressing with jumps of 2, and also running on the outer loop.
Am I right?
I believe, that first code will run in O(Log(LogN)) time. It's simple to understand in this way
Before first iteration you have 3 in power 1
After first iteration you have 3 in power 2
After second iteration you have 3 in power 4
After third iteration you have 3 in power 8
After fourth iteration you have 3 in power 16
and so on.
In the second code first piece of code will work in O(LogM) time, because you divide i by 3 every time. The second piece of code C times (C equals 100 in your case) will perform O(LogN) operations, because you multiply j by 2 every time, so it runs in O(CLogN), and you have complexity O(LogM + CLogN)
For the first one, it is indeed O(log(log(n))). Thanks to #MarounMaroun for the hint, I could find this:
l(k) = l(k-1)^2
l(0) = 3
Solving this system yields:
l(k) = 3^(2^k)
So, we are looking for such a k that satisfies l(k) = n. So simply solve that:
This means we found:
The second code is seems misleading. It looks like O(nlog(n)), but the outer loop limited to 100. So, if m < 100, then it obviously is O(mlog(n)). Otherwise, it kind of depends on where exactly m is. Consider these two:
m: 305 -> 101 -> 33
m: 300 -> 100
In the first case, the outer loop would run 33 times. Whereas the second case would cause 100 iterations. I'm not sure, but I think you can write this as being O(log(n)).

Categories