C Program to Find the Smallest Element in an Array

🔍 C Program to Find the Smallest Element in an Array

#include<stdio.h>
int main( )
{
    int num, a[100];
    printf("Enter the size of the array:\n");
    scanf("%d", &num);

    if(num <= 0)
    {
        printf("Invalid array size");
        return 1;
    }

    printf("Enter %d elements into the array:\n", num);
    for(int i = 0; i < num; i++)
    {
        scanf("%d", &a[i]);
    }

    int min = a[0]; // Start by assuming first element is smallest

    for(int i = 1; i < num; i++) // Start from 1 to avoid rechecking a[0]
    {
        if(a[i] < min)
        {
            min = a[i];
        }
    }

    printf("The smallest element in the array is %d\n", min);

    return 0;
}
  

📝 Explanation:

This C program reads an array of integers from the user and finds the smallest element by comparing each item with a `min` variable initialized to the first element.

💡 Sample Output:

Enter the size of the array:
5
Enter 5 elements into the array:
12 5 9 30 2
The smallest element in the array is 2
  

🔍 Keywords:

Smallest number in array C program, find minimum element, array comparison logic, beginner C programs, interview C questions