void swapUsingTempVar() {
int x = 10, y = 5;
int temp = x;
x = y;
y = temp;
System.out.println("After swap x = " + x + ", y = " + y);
}Write a program to swap two numbers in Java
Upasana | May 24, 2019 | 3 min read | 131 views
There are mainly 3 approaches to swap two number in Java, we will discuss all of them in order of increasing relevancy from interview point of view.
Approach 1. Using a temporary variable
Two numbers can be swapped using a temporary variable.
Program output
After swap x = 5, y = 10
But this approach is not of great relevance from interview point of view.
Without temp variable
We can swap two numbers without additional memory overhead of temporary variable. Let’s see how.
Approach 2. Using sum of numbers
We can easily swap two numbers using summation approach, as illustrated in the below code snippet.
void swapUsingSum() {
int x = 10, y = 5;
x = x + y; // x becomes 15
y = x - y; // y becomes 15 - 5 = 10
x = x - y; // x becomes 15 - 10 = 5
System.out.println("After swap x = " + x + ", y = " + y);
}But there are issues with this code due to integer overflow and underflow. This program will not behave as expected when sum of x and y crosses the (+/-)231 limit.
Integer overflow example:
void integerOverflow() {
int x = Integer.MAX_VALUE - 10;
int y = Integer.MAX_VALUE - 10;
int result = x + y; (1)
System.out.println("sum = " + result);
}| 1 | Since variable result can not hold sum of two large integer values, so integer overflow will occur. Please be noted that there will be no exception, so user will never be notified about this behavior. |
Program output
sum = -22
Java 8 approach (safe approach)
public static boolean safeAddition(int left, int right) {
try {
Math.addExact(left, right);
return false;
} catch (ArithmeticException e) {
return true;
}
}This way the caller of this method will alway know if overflow occurs.
Approach 3. Using XOR bitwise operator
Best way to swap two numbers without falling into trap of integer overflow problem is to use XOR bitwise operator.
Java Code to swap two integer using XOR
void swapUsingXor() {
int x = 10;
int y = 5;
// Code to swap 'x' (1010) and 'y' (0101)
x = x ^ y; // x now becomes 15 (1111)
y = x ^ y; // y becomes 10 (1010)
x = x ^ y; // x becomes 5 (0101)
System.out.println("After swap: x = " + x + ", y = " + y);
}Program output
After swap: x = 5, y = 10
That’s all.
Practical Usecase of Bitwise OR, AND and XOR operand
- Bitwise AND
-
The operation may be used to determine whether a particular bit is set (1) or clear (0).
- Bitwise OR
-
The bitwise OR may be used to set to 1 the selected bits of the register described above.
- Bitwise XOR
-
The bitwise XOR may be used to invert selected bits in a register (also called toggle or flip). Any bit may be toggled by XORing it with 1.
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