USER-DEFINED METHODS - Java Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design - page 396

these numbers is a floating-point number—say, double . Because the larger number is of
type double , the method's data type is also double . Let's name this method larger .
The only thing you need to complete this method is the body of the method. Thus,
following the syntax of a method, you can write this method as follows:

public static double larger( double x, double y)
{

double max;

if (x >= y)
max = x;
else
max = y;

return max;

}

Note that the method larger uses an additional variable max (called a local declara-
tion, where max is a variable local to the method larger ). Figure 7-1 describes the
various parts of the method larger .

Formal
parameters

Method
return type

Method
name

Modifiers

Method
heading

p ublic static double larger( double x, double y)
{

double max;

Local
variable

Formal parameters
list

if (x >= y)
max = x;
else
max = y;

Method
body

Method
return
value

return max;

}

FIGURE 7-1 Various parts of the method larger

Suppose that num , num1 , and num2 are int variables. Also suppose that num1 = 45.75 and
num2 = 35.50 . Figure 7-2 shows various calls to the method larger .