Container With Most Water in Java: Explanation & Practice

Find two lines that form container with most water

Problem summary

Given an array of heights, find two lines that together with x-axis form a container that holds the most water. Use two pointers to find the maximum area.

Starter code

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int[] height = {1, 8, 6, 2, 5, 4, 8, 3, 7};
        
        // Area = min(height[left], height[right]) * (right - left)
        // Move the pointer with smaller height inward
        // Print: Max area: 49
    }
}

Expected output and test cases

[1,8,6,2,5,4,8,3,7] → 49
```
Max area: 49
```
[1,1] → 1
```
Max area: 1
```
[4,3,2,1,4] → 16
```
Max area: 16
```

Hints

Start with widest container (left=0, right=n-1)
Area is limited by the shorter line
Moving the taller line inward can only decrease or maintain area
Moving the shorter line inward might find a taller line → bigger area

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