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Mattscreative edited this page Mar 9, 2026 · 1 revision

Java Beginner Guide - Part 3: Methods and Arrays

Table of Contents

Introduction

In this guide, you'll learn two essential concepts:

  1. Methods - Reusable blocks of code that perform specific tasks
  2. Arrays - Collections that store multiple values in a single variable

These are fundamental building blocks that every Java programmer needs to master!

Methods - Introduction

Methods (also called functions in other languages) are reusable blocks of code. Instead of writing the same code multiple times, you write it once in a method and "call" it when needed.

Why Use Methods?

  • Reusability - Write once, use many times
  • Organization - Break code into logical chunks
  • Easier Testing - Test each method separately
  • Readability - Cleaner, easier to understand code

Basic Method Structure

public class Main {
    // This is a method
    public static void sayHello() {
        System.out.println("Hello!");
    }
    
    // Main method - where the program starts
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        sayHello();  // Call the method
        sayHello();  // Call it again
        sayHello();  // One more time
    }
}

Method Parts Explained

public static void myMethod(String parameter) {
    // method body
}
Part What It Means
public Accessible from anywhere
static Can be called without creating an object
void Returns nothing
myMethod The name you use to call it
String parameter Input the method receives

Types of Methods

public class MethodTypes {
    // 1. No parameters, no return
    public static void greet() {
        System.out.println("Hello!");
    }
    
    // 2. With parameters, no return
    public static void greetPerson(String name) {
        System.out.println("Hello, " + name + "!");
    }
    
    // 3. With parameters, with return
    public static int add(int a, int b) {
        return a + b;
    }
    
    // 4. No parameters, with return
    public static String getMessage() {
        return "Welcome to Java!";
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        greet();
        greetPerson("Alice");
        int sum = add(5, 3);
        System.out.println(sum);  // 8
        System.out.println(getMessage());
    }
}

Method Parameters and Return Values

Parameters

Parameters are inputs that methods can accept:

// Single parameter
public static void printTwice(String text) {
    System.out.println(text);
    System.out.println(text);
}

// Multiple parameters
public static void introduce(String name, int age) {
    System.out.println("I am " + name + ", " + age + " years old.");
}

// Different types of parameters
public static void processData(String message, int count, double price) {
    System.out.println(message + " - Count: " + count + ", Price: " + price);
}

Return Values

Use return to send a value back:

// Return an int
public static int doubleNumber(int num) {
    return num * 2;
}

// Return a String
public static String getFullName(String first, String last) {
    return first + " " + last;
}

// Return a boolean
public static boolean isEven(int num) {
    return num % 2 == 0;
}

// Return an array
public static int[] getNumbers() {
    return new int[]{1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
}

The return Statement

  • return exits the method immediately
  • Methods with void don't return anything
  • Methods with a return type MUST return a value
public static String checkAge(int age) {
    if (age >= 18) {
        return "Adult";
    } else {
        return "Minor";
    }
    // No need for else after return
}

Passing by Value

In Java, primitives are passed by value (a copy is made):

public static void changeValue(int num) {
    num = 100;  // This only changes the local copy
}

public static void main(String[] args) {
    int num = 5;
    changeValue(num);
    System.out.println(num);  // Still 5!
}

Method Overloading

Method overloading allows multiple methods with the same name but different parameters.

Why Use It?

Different ways to do similar things:

// Same method name, different parameters
public static int add(int a, int b) {
    return a + b;
}

public static double add(double a, double b) {
    return a + b;
}

public static int add(int a, int b, int c) {
    return a + b + c;
}

public static void main(String[] args) {
    System.out.println(add(5, 3));       // Calls int version: 8
    System.out.println(add(5.5, 3.2));   // Calls double version: 8.7
    System.out.println(add(1, 2, 3));    // Calls three-param version: 6
}

Common Overloaded Methods

// Print can take any type!
System.out.println(42);        // int
System.out.println("Hello");   // String
System.out.println(3.14);      // double
System.out.println(true);      // boolean

Arrays - Introduction

Arrays store multiple values in a single variable. Instead of having 10 separate variables, you can have one array with 10 elements!

Why Use Arrays?

  • Store related data together
  • Easy to process with loops
  • Efficient way to manage collections

Declaring Arrays

// Method 1: Declare and create
int[] numbers = new int[5];

// Method 2: Declare with values
int[] numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

// Method 3: Different syntax
int numbers[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

Array Types

// Integer array
int[] ages = {20, 25, 30, 35};

// String array
String[] names = {"Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"};

// Double array
double[] prices = {19.99, 29.99, 9.99};

// Boolean array
boolean[] flags = {true, false, true};

Array Indexing

Arrays start at index 0:

String[] fruits = {"Apple", "Banana", "Cherry"};

System.out.println(fruits[0]);  // Apple (first element)
System.out.println(fruits[1]);  // Banana (second element)
System.out.println(fruits[2]);  // Cherry (third element)

// Access with a variable
int index = 1;
System.out.println(fruits[index]);  // Banana

Working with Arrays

Accessing Elements

int[] numbers = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};

// Get values
System.out.println(numbers[0]);  // 10
System.out.println(numbers[4]);  // 50

// Set values
numbers[0] = 100;
System.out.println(numbers[0]);  // 100

Array Length

int[] numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};

System.out.println(numbers.length);  // 5

Looping Through Arrays

int[] scores = {95, 87, 92, 78, 88};

// Regular for loop
for (int i = 0; i < scores.length; i++) {
    System.out.println("Score " + i + ": " + scores[i]);
}

// For-each loop (easier!)
for (int score : scores) {
    System.out.println("Score: " + score);
}

Array Methods and Utilities

Java provides built-in ways to work with arrays:

Arrays.toString()

Convert an array to a readable string:

import java.util.Arrays;

int[] numbers = {5, 2, 8, 1, 9};
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(numbers));
// [5, 2, 8, 1, 9]

Arrays.sort()

Sort array elements:

import java.util.Arrays;

int[] numbers = {5, 2, 8, 1, 9};
Arrays.sort(numbers);
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(numbers));
// [1, 2, 5, 8, 9]

Arrays.fill()

Fill an array with a value:

import java.util.Arrays;

int[] numbers = new int[5];
Arrays.fill(numbers, 100);
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(numbers));
// [100, 100, 100, 100, 100]

Arrays.copyOf()

Copy an array:

import java.util.Arrays;

int[] original = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
int[] copy = Arrays.copyOf(original, original.length);
System.out.println(Arrays.toString(copy));
// [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Two-Dimensional Arrays

Arrays can have multiple dimensions! A 2D array is like a table or grid.

Declaring 2D Arrays

// Create a 3x3 grid
int[][] grid = new int[3][3];

// Or with values
int[][] matrix = {
    {1, 2, 3},
    {4, 5, 6},
    {7, 8, 9}
};

Accessing 2D Array Elements

int[][] matrix = {
    {1, 2, 3},
    {4, 5, 6},
    {7, 8, 9}
};

System.out.println(matrix[0][0]);  // 1 (row 0, col 0)
System.out.println(matrix[1][2]);  // 6 (row 1, col 2)
System.out.println(matrix[2][1]);  // 8 (row 2, col 1)

Looping Through 2D Arrays

int[][] matrix = {
    {1, 2, 3},
    {4, 5, 6},
    {7, 8, 9}
};

// Nested for loop
for (int row = 0; row < matrix.length; row++) {
    for (int col = 0; col < matrix[row].length; col++) {
        System.out.print(matrix[row][col] + " ");
    }
    System.out.println();
}

// Output:
// 1 2 3 
// 4 5 6 
// 7 8 9

Common Array Operations

Find Maximum Value

int[] numbers = {5, 12, 3, 8, 99, 1};
int max = numbers[0];

for (int i = 1; i < numbers.length; i++) {
    if (numbers[i] > max) {
        max = numbers[i];
    }
}
System.out.println("Max: " + max);  // 99

Find Minimum Value

int[] numbers = {5, 12, 3, 8, 99, 1};
int min = numbers[0];

for (int i = 1; i < numbers.length; i++) {
    if (numbers[i] < min) {
        min = numbers[i];
    }
}
System.out.println("Min: " + min);  // 1

Calculate Sum and Average

int[] numbers = {5, 10, 15, 20, 25};
int sum = 0;

for (int num : numbers) {
    sum += num;
}

double average = (double) sum / numbers.length;
System.out.println("Sum: " + sum);        // 75
System.out.println("Average: " + average); // 15.0

Search for an Element

String[] names = {"Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "Diana"};
String searchName = "Charlie";
boolean found = false;

for (String name : names) {
    if (name.equals(searchName)) {
        found = true;
        break;
    }
}
System.out.println("Found: " + found);  // true

Reverse an Array

int[] original = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5};
int[] reversed = new int[original.length];

for (int i = 0; i < original.length; i++) {
    reversed[i] = original[original.length - 1 - i];
}

System.out.println(Arrays.toString(reversed));  // [5, 4, 3, 2, 1]

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Simple Method

Create a method that prints "Hello, World!"

public class Exercise1 {
    public static void sayHello() {
        System.out.println("Hello, World!");
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        sayHello();
    }
}

Exercise 2: Method with Parameters

Create a method that takes a name and prints a greeting.

public class Exercise2 {
    public static void greet(String name) {
        System.out.println("Hello, " + name + "!");
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        greet("Alice");
        greet("Bob");
    }
}

Exercise 3: Method with Return

Create a method that returns the square of a number.

public class Exercise3 {
    public static int square(int num) {
        return num * num;
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(square(5));   // 25
        System.out.println(square(10));  // 100
    }
}

Exercise 4: Array Basics

Create an array of your favorite fruits and print each one.

public class Exercise4 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        String[] fruits = {"Apple", "Banana", "Cherry", "Date"};
        
        for (String fruit : fruits) {
            System.out.println(fruit);
        }
    }
}

Exercise 5: Array Average

Calculate the average of numbers in an array.

public class Exercise5 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] numbers = {10, 20, 30, 40, 50};
        int sum = 0;
        
        for (int num : numbers) {
            sum += num;
        }
        
        double average = (double) sum / numbers.length;
        System.out.println("Average: " + average);  // 30.0
    }
}

Exercise 6: Find Maximum

Find the largest number in an array.

public class Exercise6 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] numbers = {5, 12, 3, 8, 99, 1};
        int max = numbers[0];
        
        for (int i = 1; i < numbers.length; i++) {
            if (numbers[i] > max) {
                max = numbers[i];
            }
        }
        
        System.out.println("Maximum: " + max);  // 99
    }
}

Exercise 7: Method Overloading

Create overloaded methods for adding numbers.

public class Exercise7 {
    public static int add(int a, int b) {
        return a + b;
    }
    
    public static double add(double a, double b) {
        return a + b;
    }
    
    public static int add(int a, int b, int c) {
        return a + b + c;
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(add(5, 3));       // 8
        System.out.println(add(5.5, 3.2));   // 8.7
        System.out.println(add(1, 2, 3));    // 6
    }
}

Exercise 8: 2D Array

Create and print a 3x3 multiplication table.

public class Exercise8 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[][] table = new int[3][3];
        
        for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
            for (int j = 0; j < 3; j++) {
                table[i][j] = (i + 1) * (j + 1);
                System.out.printf("%2d ", table[i][j]);
            }
            System.out.println();
        }
    }
}

Summary

In this guide, you learned:

  • ✅ What methods are and why to use them
  • ✅ How to create methods with parameters
  • ✅ How to return values from methods
  • ✅ What method overloading is
  • ✅ What arrays are and how to use them
  • ✅ How to work with array elements
  • ✅ Common array operations (sort, search, etc.)
  • ✅ How to use two-dimensional arrays

Congratulations! You've completed the Java Beginner series!

Next Steps: Move on to Java Intermediate Guide to learn about Object-Oriented Programming and more advanced concepts!

Excellent work! You're now ready for intermediate Java! 🚀

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