Question

Describe an algorithm that takes as input a list of n integers and produces as output the largest difference obtained by subtracting an integer in the list from the one following it. Write a C++ program to test your algorithm.

Answer 1

The question involves a C++ program that finds the largest difference between consecutive integers in a list. The provided C++ code implements an algorithm that iterates through the list, calculates the differences, and tracks the largest one.

Step-by-step explanation:

Algorithm and C++ Program to Find Largest Difference

To solve this problem, you can iterate through the list of integers, calculate the difference between consecutive integers, and track the largest difference found. Below is a simple C++ program that implements this algorithm:

#include
#include
using namespace std;

int findLargestDifference(const vector& nums) {
if(nums.size() < 2) return 0; // Handle cases with fewer than 2 elements
int maxDiff = nums[1] - nums[0];
for(size_t i = 1; i < nums.size() - 1; i++) {
int diff = nums[i+1] - nums[i];
if(diff > maxDiff) {
maxDiff = diff;
}
}
return maxDiff;
}

int main() {
vector numbers = {2, 4, 1, 16, 7, 5, 11, 9};
cout << "The largest difference is: " << findLargestDifference(numbers) << endl;
return 0;
}

This program finds the largest difference by subtracting an integer in the list from the one following it, which can be useful for analyzing changes in a sequence of data points. It accounts for any potential edge cases, such as when the list contains fewer than two elements.