Getting minimum and maximum values from JavaScript arrays

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1

I’m working with arrays in JavaScript and need to find the smallest and largest numbers efficiently. I know there are several ways to do this but I’m looking for the most straightforward approach.

For example, if I have an array like this:

let numbers = [25, 3, 78, 12, 99]

// I want something like:
getMinValue(numbers) // should return 3
getMaxValue(numbers) // should return 99

What’s the best method to achieve this? I’ve heard about using Math functions but I’m not sure about the exact syntax. Any help would be appreciated!

2

To find the minimum and maximum values from an array in JavaScript, you can effectively use the spread operator along with the Math.min() and Math.max() functions. Here’s a simple example:

let numbers = [25, 3, 78, 12, 99];
let minValue = Math.min(...numbers); // this will return 3
let maxValue = Math.max(...numbers); // this will return 99

Make sure to be cautious with very large arrays, as passing too many arguments can lead to a stack overflow error. However, for most applications, this method is both efficient and straightforward.

3

You can also use a simple loop to go through the array once. This works better for huge arrays where the spread operator might slow things down:

function findMinMax(arr) {
    let min = arr[0];
    let max = arr[0];
    
    for (let i = 1; i < arr.length; i++) {
        if (arr[i] < min) min = arr[i];
        if (arr[i] > max) max = arr[i];
    }
    
    return { min, max };
}

This runs in O(n) time and won’t hit stack overflow errors with large datasets. It’s memory efficient too - just needs two variables no matter how big your array is.

4

u can also use sort() if u dont mind changin the original array. just do numbers.sort((a,b) => a-b) - first element becomes min, last becomes max. its slower but works fine for smaller arrays.