How to sum an array using a while loop?

So I have been attempting to add a 9 element 1x1 array using the while loop. I have failed miserably for over 3 hours. I attempted to use:

x=1:length(array)

sumx2=0

while sumx2<sum(array)
   sumx2=sumx2+x(array)   

end

at times I get numbers increasing on Matlab and they don't stop. Will you be kind enough to share your knowledge? Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

[Star Strider]

I didn’t want to disrupt your code too much, but I had to do some editing:

array = rand(1,9);                  % Test Array

x=1:length(array);                  % You probably Don’t Need This

sumx2=0
k = 1;                              % Add Counter Variable
while k <= length(array)
   sumx2=sumx2+array(k);            % Add Element Of ‘array’ to ‘sum2’ 
   k = k+1;                         % Increment Counter
end

You were on the correct track, but weren’t implementing your idea correctly. You need to address each element of ‘array’ individually to add it incrementally to ‘sum2’.

[Christian]

Thank you!

Well I solved my problem actually haha. What I did was:

N=numel(x)

i=0

sumx2=0

while i<N

i=i+1

sumx2=sumx2+x(i)

end

So that's what I did and it worked! Is this a different method? Thanks!

[Star Strider]

My pleasure!

It’s a different method, yes, and is probably as efficient as my code.

If you’re just getting started with programming, you’ll find that with the exception of the very simplest programs, there are a number of different ways of solving the same problem. Speed of execution is usually the criterion for deciding the ‘best’ method, but such things as memory utilisation can also be the deciding factor.