C Exercises: Return the minimum number of jumps to reach the end of the array

Last update on March 18 2025 13:21:15 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

56. Minimum Jumps to End of Array

Write a program in C to return the minimum number of jumps to reach the end of the array.

Expected Output :
The given array is : 1 3 5 8 9 2 6 7 6 8 9 1 1 1
The minimum of number of jumps is required to reach the end is: 3

The task is to write a C program that calculates the minimum number of jumps required to reach the end of an array. Each element in the array represents the maximum number of steps that can be taken forward from that element. The program should determine the smallest number of jumps needed to traverse the array from the first to the last element.

Sample Solution:

C Code:

#include <stdio.h>
#include <limits.h>

// Function to calculate the minimum number of jumps needed to reach the end
int noOfJumps(int arr1[], int low, int high) {
    // If the start and end point are the same, no jump is needed
    if (high == low)
        return 0;

    // If the current position is 0, it's impossible to move forward
    if (arr1[low] == 0)
        return INT_MAX;

    int min = INT_MAX; // Initialize the minimum jumps to a maximum value
    // Iterate through all possible steps from the current position
    for (int i = low + 1; i <= high && i <= low + arr1[low]; i++) {
        // Recursively find the minimum jumps needed from the next position
        int jumps = noOfJumps(arr1, i, high);
        // If it's possible to jump from the next position and it's minimum, update min
        if (jumps != INT_MAX && jumps + 1 < min)
            min = jumps + 1; // Update the minimum jumps
    }
    return min; // Return the minimum number of jumps
}

int main() {
    int arr1[] = {1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 2, 6, 7, 6, 8, 9, 1, 1, 1};
    int n = sizeof(arr1) / sizeof(arr1[0]);
    int i;

    //------------- print original array ------------------
    printf("The given array is: ");
    for (i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        printf("%d ", arr1[i]);
    }
    printf("\n");
    //------------------------------------------------------

    // Calculate and display the minimum number of jumps needed to reach the end
    printf("The minimum number of jumps required to reach the end is: %d\n", noOfJumps(arr1, 0, n - 1));

    return 0;
}

Output:

The given array is :  1  3  5  8  9  2  6  7  6  8  9  1  1  1  
The minimum of number of jumps is required to reach the end is:  3 

Flowchart:/p>

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a C program to compute the minimum number of jumps to reach the end of an array using dynamic programming.
• Write a C program to find the minimum jumps using a greedy algorithm and then print the jump indices.
• Write a C program to determine the minimum jumps recursively and then compare the result with the iterative method.
• Write a C program to calculate the minimum jumps and handle cases where the end is not reachable.

C Programming Code Editor:

Click to Open Editor

Previous: Write a program in C to check whether an array is subset of another array.
Next: Write a program in C to find minimum element in a sorted and rotated array.