Loops (1)

Department of Information System

SoICT, HUST

1
Loops
• is used to repeat a statement or a block of code
several times
• C supports the iteration by different ways to
determine the terminating time of the loop.
• Types of loop in C:
• for
• while
• do…while

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 while statement

while ( expression )
statement

• while implements the repetition in an algorithm

• Repeatedly executes a block of statements
• Tests a condition (boolean expression) at the start of each
iteration
• Terminates when condition becomes false (zero)

3
 Example
#include <stdio.h>
• read in integer numbers and print
out their sum int main(){
int aNum, sum = 0;
sum = 0 int count = 0, totalNumbers;
count = 0 scanf("%d", &totalNumbers);
while (count < totalNumbers)
input totalNumbers
{
while (count < totalNumbers) do scanf("%d", &aNum); There is
sum += aNum; no do
{
count++; here
input next number
add next number to sum }
add 1 to count printf("Sum is %d\n",sum); return 0;
} }

output sum

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Example (con’t)
#include <stdio.h>
int main()
{
int sum=0, count=0, totalNumbers,
nextnum;

printf(“Enter the total number of

the array:");
scanf("%d", &totalNumbers);

while (count < totalNumbers)

{
scanf("%d", &nextnum);
sum += nextnum;
count++;
}
printf(“The sum is %d\n",sum);
return 0;
}
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Common mistakes
while (count < totalNumbers)
scanf("%d", &nextnum); only scanf is
sum+= nextnum; repeated many times
count++;

while (count < totalNumbers);

{ the loop is emply
scanf("%d", &nextnum); (statements are only
sum+= nextnum; ;)
count++;
}
while (count < totalNumbers)
{ print command is
scanf("%d", &nextnum); repeated many times
sum+= nextnum;
count++;
printf(“The sum is %d\n",sum);
}
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End-of-Input: EOF
Checking for End-of-Input:
• In the example before of calculating the sum of a given
array, in order to determine the end of the array, we have to
enter the total numbers of the array before enter the array.
• Instead of entering the total of numbers for inputting we can
mark the end of the integer number sequence by pressing
Ctrl+D in Unix or Ctrl+Z in DOS.
• The return value of scanf is the number inputted values.
scanf returns EOF if the end of input is detected.

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 Example
#include <stdio.h>
• read in integer numbers
and print out their sum (ver int main()
2) {
int aNum, sum = 0;
Algorithm: (version 2) while
(scanf("%d",&aNum)!=EOF)
sum = 0 {
while (not end of input) sum += aNum;
{ }
input aNum printf("Sum is %d\n", sum);
add aNum to sum return 0;
} }
output sum
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for statement
for ( initialization; condition; update )
statement
• Form of loop which allows for initialization and
iteration control
• parts of for statement is optional. When the loop
condition is not mentioned explicitly, it takes the
default value (true)
• Update is always done after statement of the loop.

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 Example
• read in integer numbers and print #include <stdio.h>
out their sum int main()
{
sum = 0 int aNum, sum = 0;
count = 0 int count, totalNumbers;
input totalNumbers scanf("%d", &totalNumbers);
for (count=0; count<totalNumbers;
while (count < totalNumbers) do count++)
{
{
input next number
scanf("%d", &aNum);
add next number to sum
add 1 to count sum += aNum;
} }
printf("Sum is %d\n",sum);
output sum return 0;
}
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 Compare while and for
#include <stdio.h> #include <stdio.h>
int main() int main()
{ {
int sum=0, count=0,
totalNumbers, nextnum;
int aNum, sum = 0;
int count, totalNumbers;
printf(“Enter the total number scanf("%d", &totalNumbers);
of the array:"); for (count=0;
scanf("%d", &totalNumbers); count<totalNumbers;
count++)
while (count < totalNumbers) {
{ scanf("%d", &aNum);
scanf("%d", &nextnum);
sum += aNum;
sum += nextnum;
}
count++;
} printf("Sum is %d\n",sum);
printf(“The sum is %d\n",sum); return 0;
return 0; }
}
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Common mistakes
for (count=0; count<totalNumbers;)
{ count variable is not updated
scanf("%d", &aNum); after each iteration
sum += aNum;
}

for (count=0;
count<totalNumbers;count++);
{ scanf("%d", &aNum);
; must not be here
sum += aNum;
}

for (count=0,
count<totalNumbers,count++)
{ scanf("%d", &aNum);
sum += aNum; ; not , here
}
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Comma
• In the for statement initialization; condition; update are optional. If no
condition is given, we have an infinitive loop.
• for (;;) and while(1) are infinitive loops
• Some statements can be given in initialization and update. These
statements must be separated by a comma.

• Example:
for (i=0, j=100; i<=j; i++, j--)
printf(”(%d, %d\n)”, i, j);

Output:
(0, 100)
(1, 99)
…
(49, 51)
(50, 50)

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Exercises
(i) Write a program that prints all 2-digits numbers
where their sum = 10, for instance 19, 28,…
(ii) Write a program that prints 100 first numbers in
the following sequence: 1 2 3 5 8 13 21…
(iii) Write a program that receives as input a positive
integer n ( n  9), and prints out a triangular as
following if n = 5
1
12
123
1234
12345

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Thank you
for your
attentions!