Type-1: 

Here's a Java program to find the maximum and minimum elements in an integer array, along with an explanation of each step:


public class ArrayMinMax { 
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Step 1: Define an integer array with some elements

        int[] numbers = { 10, 5, 30, 40, 20 }; 
// Step 2: Initialize variables to store the maximum and minimum elements 
int max = numbers[0];
// Assume the first element as the maximum

        int min = numbers[0];
// Assume the first element as the minimum 
// Step 3: Find the maximum and minimum elements in the array

        // Using a for loop to iterate through each element in the array 
for (int i = 1; i < numbers.length; i++) { 
// Compare the current element with the current maximum 
if (numbers[i] > max) { 
 max = numbers[i];
 } 
// Compare the current element with the current minimum 
if (numbers[i] < min) {
                min = numbers[i]; 
 } 
 } 
// Step 4: Print the maximum and minimum elements 
 System.out.println("The maximum element in the array is: " + max);
 System.out.println("The minimum element in the array is: " + min);
 } 
}

Explanation of each step:

  1. We start by defining an integer array named numbers. In this example, we have an array with elements {10, 5, 30, 40, 20}. You can modify this array to have any set of integer elements.
  2. Next, we initialize two integer variables max and min to store the maximum and minimum elements in the array, respectively. We set both max and min to the first element of the array (numbers[0]) as a starting assumption.
  3. We use a for loop to iterate through each element of the numbers array. The loop variable i starts from 1 because we have already considered the first element as both max and min in step 2.
  4. Inside the loop, we compare the current element (numbers[i]) with the current maximum (max). If the current element is greater than the current maximum, we update the value of max to the current element.
  5. Similarly, we compare the current element (numbers[i]) with the current minimum (min). If the current element is less than the current minimum, we update the value of min to the current element.
  6. After the loop has finished, we would have found the maximum and minimum elements in the array.
  7. Finally, we print the maximum and minimum elements using System.out.println().


When you run this program, it will output:


The maximum element in the array is: 40

The minimum element in the array is: 5

This is because the maximum element in {10, 5, 30, 40, 20} is 40, and the minimum element is 5. 

You can modify the array elements to find the maximum and minimum with different sets of integers.

Type-2:

Here's an alternative way to find the maximum and minimum elements in an integer array using the Arrays class provided by Java:


import java.util.Arrays; 
public class ArrayMinMax { 
public static void main(String[] args) { 
// Step 1: Define an integer array with some elements 
int[] numbers = { 10, 5, 30, 40, 20 }; 
// Step 2: Sort the array in ascending order

        Arrays.sort(numbers); 
// Step 3: The first element (index 0) is the minimum, and the last element is the maximum 
int min = numbers[0];
int max = numbers[numbers.length - 1];
// Step 4: Print the maximum and minimum elements 
 System.out.println("The maximum element in the array is: " + max);
 System.out.println("The minimum element in the array is: " + min); 
 } 
}

Explanation of the alternative method:

  1. We start by defining an integer array named numbers, just like in the previous example.
  2. Next, we use the Arrays.sort() method to sort the array in ascending order. This method sorts the elements of the array in-place, modifying the original array.
  3. After sorting the array, the first element (at index 0) will be the minimum value, and the last element (at index numbers.length - 1) will be the maximum value.
  4. Finally, we print the maximum and minimum elements using System.out.println().


When you run this program, it will produce the same output:


The maximum element in the array is: 40

The minimum element in the array is: 5


Using Arrays.sort() to find the maximum and minimum elements simplifies the process, but keep in mind that it modifies the original array. If you need to keep the original array intact, you can create a copy of the array and then sort the copy using Arrays.copyOf() before finding the maximum and minimum values.