Java Program to Find Smallest Number in an Array

This article is created to cover a program in Java that find and prints the smallest number in an array of n numbers or elements, entered by user at run-time.

Java Find Smallest Number in Array using for Loop

The question is, write a Java program to find the smallest number in an array of n numbers. The program given below is its answer:

import java.util.Scanner;

public class fresherearth
{
   public static void main(String[] args)
   {
      int tot, i, small;
      Scanner scan = new Scanner(System.in);
      
      System.out.print("Enter the Size of Array: ");
      tot = scan.nextInt();
      int[] arr = new int[tot];
      System.out.print("Enter " +tot+ " Numbers: ");
      for(i=0; i<tot; i++)
         arr[i] = scan.nextInt();
      
      small = arr[0];
      for(i=1; i<tot; i++)
      {
         if(small>arr[i])
            small = arr[i];
      }
      
      System.out.println("\nSmallest Number = " +small);
   }
}

The snapshot given below shows the sample run of above program with user input 6 as size and 20, 21, 22, 17, 18, 19 as six numbers, to find and print the smallest number among these:

Java Find Smallest Number in Array using while Loop

To create the same program using while loop, instead of for. Then replace the following block of code, from above program:

for(i=1; i<tot; i++)
{
   if(small>arr[i])
      small = arr[i];
}

with the block of code given below:

i = 0;
while(i<tot)
{
   if(small>arr[i])
      small = arr[i];
   i++;
}

Same Program in Other Languages

• C Find Smallest Element in Array
• C++ Find Smallest Element in Array

Java Online Test