Finding closest number in an array

Question

In an array first we have to find whether a desired number exists in that or not? If not then how will I find nearer number to the given desired number in Java?

Answer 1

An idea:

int nearest = -1;
int bestDistanceFoundYet = Integer.MAX_INTEGER;
// We iterate on the array...
for (int i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
  // if we found the desired number, we return it.
  if (array[i] == desiredNumber) {
    return array[i];
  } else {
    // else, we consider the difference between the desired number and the current number in the array.
    int d = Math.abs(desiredNumber - array[i]);
    if (d < bestDistanceFoundYet) {
      // For the moment, this value is the nearest to the desired number...
      bestDistanceFoundYet = d; // Assign new best distance...
      nearest = array[i];
    }
  }
}
return nearest;