--- title: "number.length-1 in an array, what does the “-1” stands for" description: "number.length-1 in an array, what does the “-1” stands for" author: "Anonymous User" published: 2013-10-05 updated: 2013-10-05 canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/1601/number-length-1-in-an-array-what-does-the-1-stands-for category: "java" tags: ["java"] reading_time: 1 minute --- # number.length-1 in an array, what does the “-1” stands for I am new to Java. I got this from a [website](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13110/why-copywriting-is-crucial-for-new-website-build) and it does bubblesort. I doubt why is there "-1" after the "number.length". I just don't quite get it. Grateful if [anyone](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/23207/how-to-find-the-best-fit-job-for-anyone) could help. ``` import java.util.Arrays;public class Bubblesort {  public static void main(String[] args) {    int[] number = {5,16,4,32,30};    int j;    boolean flag = true;   // set flag to true to begin first pass    int temp;   //holding variable    while ( flag )    {          flag= false;    //set flag to false awaiting a possible swap          for( j=0;  j number[j+1] )   // change to > for ascending sort                 {                         temp = number[ j ];                //swap elements                         number[ j ] = number[ j+1 ];                         number[ j+1 ] = temp;                        flag = true;              //shows a swap occurred                }          }    }    System.out.println(Arrays.toString( number ));  }} ``` ## Replies ### Reply by Anonymous User You need to remove 1 from the length of an array to get the last element because arrays are 0-based, but the length is 1-based. --- Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/1601/number-length-1-in-an-array-what-does-the-1-stands-for Copyright © MindStick Software Pvt. Ltd. This Markdown version is provided for developers, AI systems, and offline reading.