Lect10-Loop-in-C
Lect10-Loop-in-C
Lect10-Loop-in-C
Loops in programming come into use when we need to repeatedly execute a block of
statements. For example: Suppose we want to print “Hello World” 10 times. This can be
done in two ways as shown below:
Iterative Method
An iterative method to do this is to write the printf() statement 10 times.
int main()
{
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
printf( "Hello World\n");
return 0;
}
Output:
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Using Loops
In Loop, the statement needs to be written only once and the loop will be executed 10
times as shown below.
In computer programming, a loop is a sequence of instructions that is repeated until a
certain condition is reached.
An operation is done, such as getting an item of data and changing it, and then
some condition is checked such as whether a counter has reached a prescribed
number.
Counter not Reached: If the counter has not reached the desired number, the
next instruction in the sequence returns to the first instruction in the sequence and
repeat it.
Counter reached: If the condition has been reached, the next instruction “falls
through” to the next sequential instruction or branches outside the loop.
There are mainly two types of loops:
1. Entry Controlled loops: In this type of loops the test condition is tested before
entering the loop body. For Loop and While Loop are entry controlled loops.
2. Exit Controlled Loops: In this type of loops the test condition is tested or
evaluated at the end of loop body. Therefore, the loop body will execute atleast
once, irrespective of whether the test condition is true or false. do – while loop is
exit controlled loop.
for Loop
A for loop is a repetition control structure which allows us to write a loop that is executed
a specific number of times. The loop enables us to perform n number of steps together
in one line.
Syntax:
for (initialization expr; test expr; update expr)
{
// body of the loop
// statements we want to execute
}
In for loop, a loop variable is used to control the loop. First initialize this loop variable to
some value, then check whether this variable is less than or greater than counter value.
If statement is true, then loop body is executed and loop variable gets updated . Steps
are repeated till exit condition comes.
Initialization Expression: In this expression we have to initialize the loop counter
to some value. for example: int i=1;
Test Expression: In this expression we have to test the condition. If the condition
evaluates to true then we will execute the body of loop and go to update
expression otherwise we will exit from the for loop. For example: i <= 10;
Update Expression: After executing loop body this expression
increments/decrements the loop variable by some value. for example: i++;
Equivalent flow diagram for loop :
Example:
int main()
{
int i=0;
While Loop
While studying for loop we have seen that the number of iterations is known
beforehand, i.e. the number of times the loop body is needed to be executed is known
to us. while loops are used in situations where we do not know the exact number of
iterations of loop beforehand. The loop execution is terminated on the basis of test
condition.
Syntax:
We have already stated that a loop is mainly consisted of three statements –
initialization expression, test expression, update expression. The syntax of the three
loops – For, while and do while mainly differs on the placement of these three
statements.
initialization expression;
while (test_expression)
{
// statements
update_expression;
}
Flow Diagram:
Example:
int main()
{
// initialization expression
int i = 1;
// test expression
while (i < 6)
{
printf( "Hello World\n");
// update expression
i++;
}
return 0;
}
Output:
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
Hello World
do while loop
In do while loops also the loop execution is terminated on the basis of test condition.
The main difference between do while loop and while loop is in do while loop the
condition is tested at the end of loop body, i.e do while loop is exit controlled whereas
the other two loops are entry controlled loops.
Note: In do while loop the loop body will execute at least once irrespective of test
condition.
Syntax:
initialization expression;
do
{
// statements
update_expression;
} while (test_expression);
Note: Notice the semi – colon(“;”) in the end of loop.
Flow Diagram:
Example:
do
{
// loop body
printf( "Hello World\n");
// update expression
i++;
return 0;
}
Output:
Hello World
In the above program the test condition (i<1) evaluates to false. But still as the loop is
exit – controlled the loop body will execute once.
What about an Infinite Loop?
An infinite loop (sometimes called an endless loop ) is a piece of coding that lacks a
functional exit so that it repeats indefinitely. An infinite loop occurs when a condition
always evaluates to true. Usually, this is an error.
#include <stdio.h>
int main ()
{
int i;
Output:
This loop will run forever.
This loop will run forever.
...................
Important Points:
Use for loop when number of iterations is known beforehand, i.e. the number of
times the loop body is needed to be executed is known.
Use while loops where exact number of iterations is not known but the loop
termination condition is known.
Use do while loop if the code needs to be executed at least once like in Menu
driven programs