Find Maximum Element in Array

Given an array of integers nums, return the maximum element present in the array. The array will contain at least one element.

Difficulty:

JavaScript Solution

function findMax(nums) {
  let max = nums[0];
  for (let num of nums) {
    if (num > max) max = num;
  }
  return max;
}

Explanation: We initialize the maximum value as the first element of the array. Then we iterate through the array and update the maximum whenever a larger element is found.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

Java Solution

class Solution {
  public int findMax(int[] nums) {
    int max = nums[0];
    for (int num : nums) {
      if (num > max) max = num;
    }
    return max;
  }
}

Explanation: The algorithm scans each element once and keeps track of the maximum value encountered so far.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

Python Solution

def find_max(nums):
    max_val = nums[0]
    for num in nums:
        if num > max_val:
            max_val = num
    return max_val

Explanation: We iterate through the list and update the maximum value whenever we find a larger number.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

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Find Maximum Element in Array