Python maximum and minimum

Question

What is the function I use to find the maximum and minimum values between 2 values in Python? Thank you

Answer 1

To the minimum it has the function min and to the maximum has the function max.

They can be used over 2 (or more) values, the question case:

menor = min(2,8) # 2
maior = max(2,8) # 8

Or about an eternal:

lista = [1, 8, 2, 4, 9]

menor = min(lista) # 1
maior = max(lista) # 9

See the example in Ideone

Documentation for the function min and for the function max

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For the simple example of maximum or minimum 2 values you could even do "by hand" based on a if:

x = 2
y = 8

menor = x if x < y else y # 2
maior = x if x > y else y # 8

See also this example in Ideone

Answer 2

To title of curiosity, you can implement the function in a mathematical way. It is possible to demonstrate that:

max{a, b} = 0.5 (a + b + |a - b|)

and

min{a, b} = 0.5 (a + b - |a - b|)

So in Python, a solution would be:

def minmax(a, b):
    return 0.5*(a+b+abs(a-b)), 0.5*(a+b-abs(a-b))

print(minmax(7, 3)) # (3.0, 7.0)

^{See working in Ideone | Repl.it}

In practice, prefer to use the functions min and max pointed by Isac.

Answer 3

Hi,

Max: max() https://docs.python.org/2/library/functions.html#max

Minimum: min() https://docs.python.org/2/library/functions.html#min