Arrays and Iteration

Find Maximum

Scan the array once, keeping the largest value seen so far. The replay highlights when a candidate replaces the running maximum.

Algorithm

Basic Implementation

basic.lua 
arr = {3, 1, 4, 1, 5, 9, 2, 6}
best = arr[1]
for i = 2, #arr do
	if arr[i] > best then
		best = arr[i]
	end
end
print(best)

Complexity

  • Time: O(n)
  • Space: O(1)

Implementation notes

  • Keep the explicit control flow. Library shortcuts would hide the state changes this lesson is meant to replay.
  • The final output is intentionally small and deterministic for cross-language comparison.
execution replay The checked-in replay follows the language-neutral state table for `array-find-max`.
cross-language comparison This Lua DSA version keeps the same data and final output as every other DSA book in this wave.