Scala function: Find the maximum element

Last update on June 11 2025 13:09:35 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Write a Scala function to find the maximum element in an array.

Before you start!

To solve this problem, you should have a basic understanding of:

Scala arrays and how to declare them.
Looping through an array using a for loop.
Comparison operations to find the largest element.
Handling edge cases, such as an empty array.

Try before looking at the solution!

Think about how you can find the maximum element in an array:

How can you iterate through each element of the array?
How do you compare elements to find the maximum?
What variable should you use to store the maximum value?
How do you handle an empty array to avoid errors?

Sample Solution:

Scala Code:

object ArrayMaxElementFinder {
  def findMaxElement(arr: Array[Int]): Int = {
    if (arr.isEmpty) {
      throw new IllegalArgumentException("Array is empty")
    }
    
    var maxElement = arr(0)
    for (i <- 1 until arr.length) {
      if (arr(i) > maxElement) {
        maxElement = arr(i)
      }
    }
    
    maxElement
  }

  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    val nums = Array(5, 2, 9, 1, 7, 9, 0)
    println("Original Array elements:")
     // Print all the array elements
      for ( x <- nums ) {
         print(s"${x}, ")        
       }
    val maxElement = findMaxElement(nums)
    println(s"\nThe maximum element in the array is: $maxElement")
  }
}

Sample Output:

Original Array elements:
5, 2, 9, 1, 7, 9, 0, 
The maximum element in the array is: 9

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