Chapter 4 Loops

Liang, Introduction to Java

Programming, Ninth Edition, (c)
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All

Motivations
Suppose that you need to print a string (e.g.,
"Welcome to Java!") a hundred times. It would be
tedious to have to write the following statement a
hundred times:
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
So, how do you solve this problem?

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Opening Problem
Problem:

100
times

System.out.println("Welcome
System.out.println("Welcome
System.out.println("Welcome
System.out.println("Welcome
System.out.println("Welcome
System.out.println("Welcome

to
to
to
to
to
to

Java!");
Java!");
Java!");
Java!");
Java!");
Java!");

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
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Introducing while Loops

int count = 0;
while (count < 100) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java");
count++;
}

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Objectives

To write programs for executing statements repeatedly using a while loop

(4.2).
To follow the loop design strategy to develop loops (4.2.14.2.3).
To control a loop with a sentinel value (4.2.4).
To obtain large input from a file using input redirection rather than typing
from the keyboard (4.2.5).
To write loops using do-while statements (4.3).
To write loops using for statements (4.4).
To discover the similarities and differences of three types of loop
statements (4.5).
To write nested loops (4.6).
To learn the techniques for minimizing numerical errors (4.7).
To learn loops from a variety of examples (GCD, FutureTuition,
MonteCarloSimulation) (4.8).
To implement program control with break and continue (4.9).
To write a program that displays prime numbers (4.10).
Liang, Introduction to Java
To control a loop with
a confirmation
dialog
Programming,
Ninth Edition,
(c) (4.11).
2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All

while Loop Flow Chart

while (loop-continuation-condition) {
// loop-body;

int count = 0;
while (count < 100) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");

Statement(s);

count++;

}
count = 0;

Loop
Continuation
Condition?
true
Statement(s)
(loop body)

(A)

false

(count < 100)?

false

true
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;

(B)

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animation

Trace while Loop

int count = 0;

Initialize count

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

(count < 2) is true

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

Print Welcome to Java

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

Increase count by 1
count is 1 now

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

(count < 2) is still true since count

is 1

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

Print Welcome to Java

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

Increase count by 1
count is 2 now

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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animation

Trace while Loop, cont.

int count = 0;

(count < 2) is false since count is 2

now

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

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animation

Trace while Loop

int count = 0;

The loop exits. Execute the next

statement after the loop.

while (count < 2) {

System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
count++;
}

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Problem: Repeat Addition Until Correct

Recall that Listing 3.1 AdditionQuiz.java gives a
program that prompts the user to enter an answer
for a question on addition of two single digits.
Using a loop, you can now rewrite the program to
let the user enter a new answer until it is correct.

RepeatAdditionQuiz

Run

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Problem: Guessing Numbers

Write a program that randomly generates an
integer between 0 and 100, inclusive. The program
prompts the user to enter a number continuously
until the number matches the randomly generated
number. For each user input, the program tells the
user whether the input is too low or too high, so
the user can choose the next input intelligently.
Here is a sample run:
GuessNumberOneTime

Run

GuessNumber

Run

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Problem: An Advanced Math Learning Tool

The Math subtraction learning tool program
generates just one question for each run. You can
use a loop to generate questions repeatedly. This
example gives a program that generates five
questions and reports the number of the correct
answers after a student answers all five questions.

SubtractionQuizLoop

Run

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Ending a Loop with a Sentinel Value

Often the number of times a loop is executed is not
predetermined. You may use an input value to
signify the end of the loop. Such a value is known
as a sentinel value.
Write a program that reads and calculates the sum
of an unspecified number of integers. The input 0
signifies the end of the input. 03slide.ppt
SentinelValue

Run

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Caution
Dont use floating-point values for equality checking in a
loop control. Since floating-point values are
approximations for some values, using them could result
in imprecise counter values and inaccurate results.
Consider the following code for computing 1 + 0.9 + 0.8
+ ... + 0.1:
double item = 1; double sum = 0;
while (item != 0) { // No guarantee item will be 0
sum += item;
item -= 0.1;
}
System.out.println(sum);
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do-while Loop
Statement(s)
(loop body)

true

do {
// Loop body;

Loop
Continuation
Condition?
false

Statement(s);
} while (loop-continuation-condition);
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for Loops
for (initial-action; loopcontinuation-condition;
action-after-each-iteration) {
// loop body;
Statement(s);
}
Initial-Action

Loop
Continuation
Condition?

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
System.out.println(
"Welcome to Java!");
}
i=0

false

(i < 100)?

true
Statement(s)
(loop body)

true
System.out.println(
"Welcome to Java");

Action-After-Each-Iteration

i++

(A)

(B)

false

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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animation

Trace for Loop

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println(
"Welcome to Java!");
}

Declare i

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animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println(
"Welcome to Java!");
}

Execute initializer
i is now 0

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println( "Welcome to Java!");
}

(i < 2) is true
since i is 0

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

Print Welcome to Java

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

Execute adjustment statement

i now is 1

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

(i < 2) is still true

since i is 1

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

Print Welcome to Java

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

Execute adjustment statement

i now is 2

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

(i < 2) is false
since i is 2

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rights reserved.

animation

Trace for Loop, cont.

int i;
for (i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
System.out.println("Welcome to Java!");
}

Exit the loop. Execute the next

statement after the loop

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Note
The initial-action in a for loop can be a list of zero or more
comma-separated expressions. The action-after-eachiteration in a for loop can be a list of zero or more commaseparated statements. Therefore, the following two for
loops are correct. They are rarely used in practice,
however.
for (int i = 1; i < 100; System.out.println(i++));
for (int i = 0, j = 0; (i + j < 10); i++, j++) {
// Do something
}
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Note
If the loop-continuation-condition in a for loop is omitted,
it is implicitly true. Thus the statement given below in (a),
which is an infinite loop, is correct. Nevertheless, it is
better to use the equivalent loop in (b) to avoid confusion:

for ( ; ; ) {
// Do something
}

(a)

Equivalent

while (true) {
// Do something
}

(b)

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Caution
Adding a semicolon at the end of the for clause before
the loop body is a common mistake, as shown below:
Logic
Error

for (int i=0; i<10; i++);

{
System.out.println("i is " + i);
}

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Caution, cont.
Similarly, the following loop is also wrong:
int i=0;
Logic Error
while (i < 10);
{
System.out.println("i is " + i);
i++;
}

In the case of the do loop, the following semicolon is

needed to end the loop.
int i=0;
do {
System.out.println("i is " + i);
i++;
Correct
} while (i<10);

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rights reserved.

Which Loop to Use?

The three forms of loop statements, while, do-while, and for, are
expressively equivalent; that is, you can write a loop in any of these
three forms. For example, a while loop in (a) in the following figure
can always be converted into the following for loop in (b):
while (loop-continuation-condition) {
// Loop body
}

Equivalent

for ( ; loop-continuation-condition; )
// Loop body
}

(a)

(b)

A for loop in (a) in the following figure can generally be converted into the
following while loop in (b) except in certain special cases (see Review Question
3.19 for one of them):
for (initial-action;
loop-continuation-condition;
action-after-each-iteration) {
// Loop body;
}
(a)

Equivalent

initial-action;
while (loop-continuation-condition) {
// Loop body;
action-after-each-iteration;
}

(b)

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rights reserved.

Recommendations
Use the one that is most intuitive and comfortable for
you. In general, a for loop may be used if the number of
repetitions is known, as, for example, when you need to
print a message 100 times. A while loop may be used if
the number of repetitions is not known, as in the case of
reading the numbers until the input is 0. A do-while loop
can be used to replace a while loop if the loop body has to
be executed before testing the continuation condition.

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rights reserved.

Nested Loops
Problem: Write a program that uses nested for
loops to print a multiplication table.

MultiplicationTable
Run
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Minimizing Numerical Errors

Numeric errors involving floating-point
numbers are inevitable. This section discusses
how to minimize such errors through an
example.
Here is an example that sums a series that
starts with 0.01 and ends with 1.0. The
numbers in the series will increment by 0.01,
as follows: 0.01 + 0.02 + 0.03 and so on.
TestSum

Run

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rights reserved.

Problem:
Finding the Greatest Common Divisor
Problem: Write a program that prompts the user to enter two positive
integers and finds their greatest common divisor.
Solution: Suppose you enter two integers 4 and 2, their greatest
common divisor is 2. Suppose you enter two integers 16 and 24, their
greatest common divisor is 8. So, how do you find the greatest
common divisor? Let the two input integers be n1 and n2. You know
number 1 is a common divisor, but it may not be the greatest commons
divisor. So you can check whether k (for k = 2, 3, 4, and so on) is a
common divisor for n1 and n2, until k is greater than n1 or n2.

GreatestCommonDivisor
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Run

Problem: Predicting the Future Tuition

Problem: Suppose that the tuition for a university is $10,000 this year
and tuition increases 7% every year. In how many years will the
tuition be doubled?

FutureTuition
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Run

Problem: Predicating the Future Tuition

double tuition = 10000; int year = 0 // Year 0
tuition = tuition * 1.07; year++;
// Year 1
tuition = tuition * 1.07; year++;
// Year 2
tuition = tuition * 1.07; year++;
// Year 3
...

FutureTuition
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Run

Problem: Monte Carlo Simulation

The Monte Carlo simulation refers to a technique that uses random
numbers and probability to solve problems. This method has a wide
range of applications in computational mathematics, physics,
chemistry, and finance. This section gives an example of using the
Monto Carlo simulation for estimating .
circleArea / squareArea = / 4.

y
1

-1

1
-1

can be approximated as 4 *
numberOfHits / 1000000.
MonteCarloSimulation

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Run

Using break and continue

Examples for using the break and continue
keywords:

TestBreak.java
TestBreak

Run

TestContinue.java
TestContinue

Run

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

break
public class TestBreak {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int sum = 0;
int number = 0;
while (number < 20) {
number++;
sum += number;
if (sum >= 100)
break;
}

System.out.println("The number is " + number);

System.out.println("The sum is " + sum);

Liang, Introduction to Java Programming, Ninth Edition, (c) 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All
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rights reserved.

continue
public class TestContinue {
public static void main(String[] args) {
int sum = 0;
int number = 0;
while (number < 20) {
number++;
if (number == 10 || number == 11)
continue;
sum += number;
}
System.out.println("The sum is " + sum);
}

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rights reserved.

Guessing Number Problem Revisited

Here is a program for guessing a number. You can
rewrite it using a break statement.

GuessNumberUsingBreak

Run

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rights reserved.

Problem: Displaying Prime Numbers

Problem: Write a program that displays the first 50 prime numbers in
five lines, each of which contains 10 numbers. An integer greater
than 1 is prime if its only positive divisor is 1 or itself. For example,
2, 3, 5, and 7 are prime numbers, but 4, 6, 8, and 9 are not.
Solution: The problem can be broken into the following tasks:
For number = 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, ..., test whether the number is prime.
Determine whether a given number is prime.
Count the prime numbers.
Print each prime number, and print 10 numbers per line.

PrimeNumber
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Run

(GUI) Controlling a Loop with a

Confirmation Dialog
A sentinel-controlled loop can be implemented using a confirmation
dialog. The answers Yes or No to continue or terminate the loop. The
template of the loop may look as follows:
int option = 0;
while (option == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION) {
System.out.println("continue loop");
option = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null, "Continue?");
}

SentinelValueUsingConfirmationDialog
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Run

Companion
Website

Debugging Loops in IDE Tools

Supplements II.C, II.E, and II.G.

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rights reserved.