How to find max. and min. in array using minimum comparisons?

Question

This is a interview question: given an array of integers find the max. and min. using minimum comparisons.

Obviously, I can loop over the array twice and use ~

Answer 1

Compare in Pairs will work best for minimum comparisons

# Initialization # 
- if len(arr) is even, min = min(arr[0], arr[1]), max = max(arr[0], arr[1])
- if len(arr) is odd, min = min = arr[0], max = arr[0]

# Loop over pairs # 
- Compare bigger of the element with the max, and smaller with min,
- if smaller element less than min, update min, similarly with max.

Total Number of comparisons -

• For size = odd, 3(n - 1) / 2 where n is size of array
• For size = even, 1 + 3*(n - 2)/2 = 3n/2 - 2

Below is the python code for the above pseudo-code

class Solution(object):
    def min_max(self, arr):
        size = len(arr)
        if size == 1:
            return arr[0], arr[0]

        if size == 2:
            return arr[0], arr[1]

        min_n = None
        max_n = None
        index = None
        if size % 2 == 0:       # One comparison
            min_n = min(arr[0], arr[1])
            max_n = max(arr[0], arr[1])
            st_index = 2

        else:
            min_n = arr[0]
            max_n = arr[0]
            st_index = 1
        for index in range(st_index, size, 2):
            if arr[index] < arr[index + 1]:
                min_n = min(arr[index], min_n)
                max_n = max(arr[index + 1], max_n)
            else:
                min_n = min(arr[index + 1], min_n)
                max_n = max(arr[index], max_n)

        return min_n, max_n

Answer 2

Brute-force is FASTER!

I would love someone to show me the error of my ways, here, but, …

I compared the actual run times of the brute-force method vs. the (more beautiful) recursive divide and conquer. Typical results (in 10,000,000 calls to each function):

Brute force :
  0.657 seconds 10 values => 16 comparisons.  Min @ 8, Max @ 10
  0.604 seconds 1000000 values => 1999985 comparisons.  Min @ 983277, Max @ 794659
Recursive :
  1.879 seconds 10 values => 13 comparisons.  Min @ 8, Max @ 10
  2.041 seconds 1000000 values => 1499998 comparisons.  Min @ 983277, Max @ 794659

Surprisingly, the brute-force method was about 2.9 times faster for an array of 10 items, and 3.4 times faster for an array of 1,000,000 items.

Evidently, the number of comparisons is not the problem, but possibly the number of re-assignments, and the overhead of calling a recursive function (which might explain why 1,000,000 values runs slower than 10 values).

Caveats : I did this in VBA, not C, and I was comparing double-precision numbers and returning the index into the array of the Min and Max values.

Here is the code I used (class cPerformanceCounter is not included here but uses QueryPerformanceCounter for high-resolution timing) :

Option Explicit

'2014.07.02

Private m_l_NumberOfComparisons As Long

Sub Time_MinMax()

   Const LBOUND_VALUES As Long = 1

   Dim l_pcOverall As cPerformanceCounter
   Dim l_d_Values() As Double
   Dim i As Long, _
       k As Long, _
       l_l_UBoundValues As Long, _
       l_l_NumberOfIterations As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfMin As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfMax As Long

   Set l_pcOverall = New cPerformanceCounter

   For k = 1 To 2

      l_l_UBoundValues = IIf(k = 1, 10, 1000000)

      ReDim l_d_Values(LBOUND_VALUES To l_l_UBoundValues)

      'Assign random values
      Randomize '1 '1 => the same random values to be used each time
      For i = LBOUND_VALUES To l_l_UBoundValues
         l_d_Values(i) = Rnd
      Next i
      For i = LBOUND_VALUES To l_l_UBoundValues
         l_d_Values(i) = Rnd
      Next i

      'This keeps the total run time in the one-second neighborhood
      l_l_NumberOfIterations = 10000000 / l_l_UBoundValues

      '——————— Time Brute Force Method —————————————————————————————————————————
      l_pcOverall.RestartTimer

      For i = 1 To l_l_NumberOfIterations

         m_l_NumberOfComparisons = 0

         IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleBruteForce _
               l_d_Values, _
               LBOUND_VALUES, _
               l_l_UBoundValues, _
               l_l_IndexOfMin, _
               l_l_IndexOfMax

      Next

      l_pcOverall.ElapsedSecondsDebugPrint _
            3.3, , _
            " seconds Brute-Force " & l_l_UBoundValues & " values => " _
            & m_l_NumberOfComparisons & " comparisons. " _
            & " Min @ " & l_l_IndexOfMin _
            & ", Max @ " & l_l_IndexOfMax, _
            True
      '——————— End Time Brute Force Method —————————————————————————————————————

      '——————— Time Brute Force Using Individual Calls —————————————————————————
      l_pcOverall.RestartTimer

      For i = 1 To l_l_NumberOfIterations

         m_l_NumberOfComparisons = 0

         l_l_IndexOfMin = IndexOfMinDouble(l_d_Values)
         l_l_IndexOfMax = IndexOfMaxDouble(l_d_Values)

      Next

      l_pcOverall.ElapsedSecondsDebugPrint _
            3.3, , _
            " seconds Individual  " & l_l_UBoundValues & " values => " _
            & m_l_NumberOfComparisons & " comparisons. " _
            & " Min @ " & l_l_IndexOfMin _
            & ", Max @ " & l_l_IndexOfMax, _
            True
      '——————— End Time Brute Force Using Individual Calls —————————————————————

      '——————— Time Recursive Divide and Conquer Method ————————————————————————
      l_pcOverall.RestartTimer

      For i = 1 To l_l_NumberOfIterations

         m_l_NumberOfComparisons = 0

         IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleRecursiveDivideAndConquer _
               l_d_Values, _
               LBOUND_VALUES, _
               l_l_UBoundValues, _
               l_l_IndexOfMin, l_l_IndexOfMax

      Next

      l_pcOverall.ElapsedSecondsDebugPrint _
            3.3, , _
            " seconds Recursive   " & l_l_UBoundValues & " values => " _
            & m_l_NumberOfComparisons & " comparisons. " _
            & " Min @ " & l_l_IndexOfMin _
            & ", Max @ " & l_l_IndexOfMax, _
            True
      '——————— End Time Recursive Divide and Conquer Method ————————————————————

   Next k

End Sub

'Recursive divide and conquer
Sub IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleRecursiveDivideAndConquer( _
      i_dArray() As Double, _
      i_l_LBound As Long, _
      i_l_UBound As Long, _
      o_l_IndexOfMin As Long, _
      o_l_IndexOfMax As Long)

   Dim l_l_IndexOfLeftMin As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfLeftMax As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfRightMin As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfRightMax As Long, _
       l_l_IndexOfMidPoint As Long

   If (i_l_LBound = i_l_UBound) Then 'Only one element

      o_l_IndexOfMin = i_l_LBound
      o_l_IndexOfMax = i_l_LBound

   ElseIf (i_l_UBound = (i_l_LBound + 1)) Then 'Only two elements

      If (i_dArray(i_l_LBound) > i_dArray(i_l_UBound)) Then
         o_l_IndexOfMin = i_l_UBound
         o_l_IndexOfMax = i_l_LBound
      Else
         o_l_IndexOfMin = i_l_LBound
         o_l_IndexOfMax = i_l_UBound
      End If

      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 1

   Else 'More than two elements => recurse

      l_l_IndexOfMidPoint = (i_l_LBound + i_l_UBound) / 2

      'Find the min of the elements in the left half
      IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleRecursiveDivideAndConquer _
            i_dArray, _
            i_l_LBound, _
            l_l_IndexOfMidPoint, _
            l_l_IndexOfLeftMin, _
            l_l_IndexOfLeftMax

      'Find the min of the elements in the right half
      IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleRecursiveDivideAndConquer i_dArray, _
            l_l_IndexOfMidPoint + 1, _
            i_l_UBound, _
            l_l_IndexOfRightMin, _
            l_l_IndexOfRightMax

      'Return the index of the lower of the two values returned
      If (i_dArray(l_l_IndexOfLeftMin) > i_dArray(l_l_IndexOfRightMin)) Then
         o_l_IndexOfMin = l_l_IndexOfRightMin
      Else
         o_l_IndexOfMin = l_l_IndexOfLeftMin
      End If

      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 1

      'Return the index of the lower of the two values returned
      If (i_dArray(l_l_IndexOfLeftMax) > i_dArray(l_l_IndexOfRightMax)) Then
         o_l_IndexOfMax = l_l_IndexOfLeftMax
      Else
         o_l_IndexOfMax = l_l_IndexOfRightMax
      End If

      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 1

   End If

End Sub

Sub IndexOfMinAndMaxDoubleBruteForce( _
      i_dArray() As Double, _
      i_l_LBound As Long, _
      i_l_UBound As Long, _
      o_l_IndexOfMin As Long, _
      o_l_IndexOfMax As Long)

   Dim i As Long

   o_l_IndexOfMin = i_l_LBound
   o_l_IndexOfMax = o_l_IndexOfMin

   For i = i_l_LBound + 1 To i_l_UBound

      'Usually we will do two comparisons
      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 2

      If (i_dArray(i) < i_dArray(o_l_IndexOfMin)) Then

         o_l_IndexOfMin = i

         'We don't need to do the ElseIf comparison
         m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons - 1

      ElseIf (i_dArray(i) > i_dArray(o_l_IndexOfMax)) Then

         o_l_IndexOfMax = i

      End If
   Next i

End Sub

Function IndexOfMinDouble( _
      i_dArray() As Double _
      ) As Long

   Dim i As Long

   On Error GoTo EWE

   IndexOfMinDouble = LBound(i_dArray)

   For i = IndexOfMinDouble + 1 To UBound(i_dArray)

      If (i_dArray(i) < i_dArray(IndexOfMinDouble)) Then
         IndexOfMinDouble = i
      End If

      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 1

   Next i

   On Error GoTo 0
   Exit Function
EWE:
   On Error GoTo 0
   IndexOfMinDouble = MIN_LONG
End Function

Function IndexOfMaxDouble( _
      i_dArray() As Double _
      ) As Long

   Dim i As Long

   On Error GoTo EWE

   IndexOfMaxDouble = LBound(i_dArray)

   For i = IndexOfMaxDouble + 1 To UBound(i_dArray)

      If (i_dArray(i) > i_dArray(IndexOfMaxDouble)) Then
         IndexOfMaxDouble = i
      End If

      m_l_NumberOfComparisons = m_l_NumberOfComparisons + 1

   Next i

   On Error GoTo 0
   Exit Function
EWE:
   On Error GoTo 0
   IndexOfMaxDouble = MIN_LONG
End Function