How to find Minimum of an array or slice in Golang Example

In these examples, You will learn how to find the minimum/smallest element of an array or slice from input from the user in Go Language.

To understand the below programs, You have the understanding the following features in Go Language.

• Golang For Loop control structure
• Golang For Loop Range form
• Golang read input from user
• Array/Slice Tutorials

The algorithm for this program is as follows.

-At first, the starting element of an array is assumed as the smallest element.

• Iterate elements in Array or Slice using a range
• Each iterated element compare with initialized first smallest number.
• if elements are smaller than other elements, It will be a new smaller element.
• This sequence of steps continues execution until all elements are iterated.

Golang example to find a minimum number in an array or slice

This program explains the following sequence of steps.

• Array or slice is declared and initialized with values
• Declared smallestNumber initialized with array first element assumed as the smallest number
• Iterated array or slice using for loop with range to calculate minimum element
• Inside for loop for each element, if an element is smallestNumber, assign smallestNumber with an element
• repeat the loop until all elements iteration is completed.

package main  
import "fmt"  
  
func main() {  
  
 array:= []int{11, 9, 1, 45, 411}  
 // First element as smallest number assumption
 smallestNumber := array[0]  
 // Iterate array using rage loop
 for _, element := range array { 
  // check for smallest number 
  if element < smallestNumber {  
   smallestNumber = element  
  
  }  
 }  
 fmt.Println("Smallest number of Array/slice is  ", smallestNumber)  
}  

Output:

The smallest number of Array/slices is   1  

Example program to check a minimum of array/slice elements read user input from the console

Instead of array elements being fixed like above, This program read the array size and elements read from the input console by a user using the Scanln function.

The logic is the same as the above program to calculate the smallest of an array or slice of numbers.

package main  
  
import "fmt"  
  
func main() {  
 size := 0  
 // Read Input from command line console
 fmt.Print("Number of elements n=")  
 fmt.Scanln(&size)  
 fmt.Println("Enter of array elements") 
 // Create dynamic array 
 elements := make([]int, size)  
 // add elements to array
 for i := 0; i < size; i++ {  
  fmt.Scanln(&elements[i])  
 }  
 fmt.Println("Entered Array of elements:", elements)  
 smallestNumber := elements[0]  
 for _, element := range elements {  
  if element < smallestNumber {  
   smallestNumber = element  
  
  }  
 }  
 fmt.Println("Smallest number of Array/slice is  ", smallestNumber)  
}  

The output of the above code is as follows.

Number of elements n=5  
Enter of array elements  
2  
5  
0  
1  
8  
Entered Array of elements: [2 5 0 1 8]  
The smallest number of Array/slices is   0