Implementing a Java Program to Find the Sum of 5 Numbers

Java is a widely-used programming language known for its flexibility and robustness. One common programming task is to create a program that takes a set of numbers as input and calculates their sum. In this article, we will explore multiple ways to achieve this in Java and discuss the principles behind each method.

Method 1: Using an Array and a For Loop

One straightforward approach is to store the input numbers in an array and then iterate through the array using a for loop to calculate the sum.

Example Java Code

import ;
class SumProgram {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner sc  new Scanner();
        // Lets take input of integers in array
        int[] array  new int[5];
        int sum  0;
        for (int i  0; i  5; i  ) {
            array[i]  (); // Input numbers
        }
        for (int i  0; i  5; i  ) {
            sum   array[i]; // Calculate sum
        }
        ("The sum is: "   sum);
    }
}

Method 2: Using a For Loop Only, Without Array

Another method involves using a single integer variable and a for loop to input and sum the numbers sequentially.

Example Java Code

import ;
class SumWithoutArray {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner s  new Scanner();
        int sum  0;
        for (int i  0; i  5; i  ) {
            sum   (); // Input numbers and sum them
        }
        ("The sum is: "   sum);
    }
}

Method 3: Using a While Loop

A third method uses a while loop to ask for user input until the fifth number is entered.

Example Java Code

import ;
class SumWhileLoop {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int count  1;
        int sum  0;
        Scanner in  new Scanner();
        while (count  5) {
            int num  (); // Input number
            sum   num; // Update sum
            count  ;
        }
        ("The sum is: "   sum);
    }
}

Conclusion and Best Practices

Although all the methods presented here are correct, the approach you choose can vary based on your specific needs and preferences. For example, using an array might be beneficial if you need to perform additional operations on the numbers later on. In general, it's good to consider factors such as code readability, performance, and maintainability when selecting an implementation.

Regardless of the method chosen, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the documentation for classes such as Scanner, BufferedReader, and For loop, as well as other control structures, to enhance your problem-solving skills and explore different coding techniques.