Python: Compute the largest product of three integers from a given list of integers

Last update on May 24 2025 10:49:06 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Largest Product of Three Integers

Write a Python program to compute the largest product of three integers from a given list of integers.

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# Define a function to find the largest product of three elements in a list
def largest_product_of_three(nums):
    # Initialize the maximum value with the second element in the list
    max_val = nums[1]

    # Iterate through each element in the list to find the maximum product of three elements
    for i in range(len(nums)):
        for j in range(i+1, len(nums)):
            for k in range(j+1, len(nums)):
                # Update the maximum value if a larger product is found
                max_val = max(nums[i] * nums[j] * nums[k], max_val)
                
    # Return the maximum product of three elements
    return max_val
    
# Test the function with different lists of numbers
print(largest_product_of_three([-10, -20, 20, 1]))
print(largest_product_of_three([-1, -1, 4, 2, 1]))
print(largest_product_of_three([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]))

Sample Output:

4000
8
120

Explanation:

Here is a breakdown of the above Python code:

• The function "largest_product_of_three()" takes a list of numbers ('nums') as input.
• It initializes the maximum value ('max_val') with the second element in the list.
• It uses three nested loops to iterate through all possible combinations of three elements in the list.
• For each combination, it calculates the product of the three elements and updates the maximum value if a larger product is found.
• Finally, the function returns the maximum product of three elements.
• The function is tested with different lists of numbers.

Visual Presentation:

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Python program to compute the largest product of any three integers from a given list by sorting the list.
• Write a Python program to determine the maximum product triplet in an array, considering both positive and negative numbers.
• Write a Python program to find the largest product of three numbers by comparing the product of the three largest numbers with the product of the two smallest and the largest number.
• Write a Python program to calculate the maximum product of three elements from an unsorted list using combinatorial analysis.

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