Thread: Problem with a binary search

I am attempting to write basic code for a binary search. Here is the code I have:

 
public class BinarySearch
{
    public static final int NOT_FOUND = -1;
    public static int binarysearch(int [] a, int x)
    {
        int low = 0;
        int high = a.length - 1;
        int mid;
        while(low<=high)
        {
            mid = (low + high) / 2;
            if(a[mid].compareTo(x) < 0)
                low = mid + 1;
            else if(a[mid].compareTo(x) > 0)
                high = mid - 1;
            else
                return mid;
            }
            return NOT_FOUND;
        }
    public static void main(String [] args)
    {
        int SIZE = 6;
        int [] a = new Integer[SIZE] = {-3, 5, 10, 10.5, 24, 45.3};
        System.out.println("45.3 found at " + binarysearch(a,45.3));
    }
}

However, when I attempt to compile, I am given a message that says this line of code:

int [] a = new Integer[SIZE] = {-3, 5, 10, 10.5, 24, 45.3};

has an "illegal start of expression". I don't know what this means much less how to fix it.

Help would be much appreciated. Thank You!

Thank You!

Another error is popping up now, saying that this line:

if(a[mid].compareTo(x) < 0)

is not good. The error says "int cannot be dereferenced".

I am taking a beginning class which is very very poorly put together, and all of your help is really really appreciated. Thank You so much!!

I'm sorry I'm just not following... Like I said this class will explain what you're supposed to do, give a short example (in which I'm finding out the code is not even valid) and say "ok now do it"... So I'm sort of lost.

What would I have to change it to?

A method, like compareTo(), cannot be called on a primitive. Imagine a[mid] = 5, then 5.compareTo( anything ) is not valid. You would simply use comparison operators, 5 < anything, 5 > anything, 5 == anything, etc.