Initialize maximum, minimum and result variables safely

Initialization is part of the algorithm, not a decoration. A wrong starting value can survive every comparison and become a result that never appeared in the data.

Zero is not a universal maximum seed #

For a nonempty list of marks guaranteed between 0 and 100, Max=0 gives the correct maximum value. For −8,−3,−5, the same seed wrongly reports 0. Initializing from the first actual value works for negative, zero and positive values.

An owner introduces an extra boundary case #

If Max=0 and Owner=NONE, a strict test score>Max never updates the owner when every mark is zero. You would know the value but fail to identify a real record. Seed value and owner from the first record, or use HaveValue=False and accept the first record independently of the comparison.

Minimum reverses the comparison #

If the dataset is empty: report "No minimum"
Otherwise initialize Min from its first actual value
For each remaining value v {
    if (v < Min) { Min = v }
}

A high seed is valid only if you know it is at least every possible input. The tutorial’s value 1000 for word length is an assumption about that exercise, not a general guarantee for arbitrary text. Prefer a real first value when no justified bound is available.

Choose each variable according to its meaning #

Here NONE is a special “not assigned” marker, not an ordinary customer string that might accidentally be a real name. A numeric sentinel such as −1 for a card ID is safe only when the valid ID set excludes −1.

Dataset values versus illustrative ranges #

The supplied Scores data have Chemistry minimum 43 and maximum 97. Tutorial 2.7 mentions 43 and 93 while explaining seeds; treat that explanation as illustrative and use the supplied table for dataset-specific answers.

Source: Lectures 2.2, 2.8, 2.10; Tutorial 2.7. Small teaching datasets and diagrams are prepared for these notes; lecture and tutorial totals are identified explicitly.