Cranes at VIIT Q4

Find Kth Smallest and Largest Element in an Array

Write a C program that finds the Kth smallest and Kth largest element in an unsorted array.

Problem Statement:

• Given an unsorted array of integers and an integer k, your task is to find:
  • The Kth smallest element.
  • The Kth largest element.
• Assume that k is valid and 1 ≤ k ≤ n.

Input Format:

• n: An integer representing the number of elements in the array.
• n space-separated integers representing the elements of the array.
• k: An integer representing the position of the smallest and largest elements to be found.

Output Format:

• Print the Kth smallest and Kth largest element in the array.

Example Inputs & Outputs:

Enter the number of elements: 6
Enter the elements: 7 10 4 3 20 15
Enter the value of k: 3
3rd smallest element: 7
3rd largest element: 10
            

Enter the number of elements: 5
Enter the elements: 12 3 5 7 19
Enter the value of k: 2
2nd smallest element: 5
2nd largest element: 12
            

Constraints:

• 1 ≤ n ≤ 1000
• -10⁵ ≤ array[i] ≤ 10⁵
• 1 ≤ k ≤ n

Hint:

Follow these steps to solve the problem:

1. Take Input:
   • Read an integer n representing the number of elements in the array.
   • Read an array of n integers.
   • Read an integer k representing the position of the smallest and largest elements.
2. Sort the Array:
   • Use a sorting algorithm like bubble sort.
   • After sorting, the array will be in ascending order.
3. Find the Kth Smallest and Largest Elements:
   • The Kth smallest element is at position k-1 in the sorted array.
   • The Kth largest element is at position n-k in the sorted array.
4. Print Results:
   • Print the Kth smallest and Kth largest elements.

Formula Breakdown:

• To find the Kth smallest element:

  kth_smallest = sorted_array[k-1];
                      

• To find the Kth largest element:

  kth_largest = sorted_array[n-k];
                      

Task: Implement the above logic and write a C program to find the Kth smallest and Kth largest elements in an array.