Compute the minimum or maximum of two integers without branching

reference: 

http://www.geeksforgeeks.org/compute-the-minimum-or-maximum-max-of-two-integers-without-branching/

Problem Definition:

The key idea is to incorporate the branch into one equation. 

Solution:

Minimum of x and y will be

y ^ ((x ^ y) & -(x < y))

It works because if x < y, then -(x < y) will be all ones, so r = y ^ (x ^ y) & ~0 = y ^ x ^ y = x. Otherwise, if x >= y, then -(x < y) will be all zeros, so r = y ^ ((x ^ y) & 0) = y.On some machines, evaluating (x < y) as 0 or 1 requires a branch instruction, so there may be no advantage.

To find the maximum, use

x ^ ((x ^ y) & -(x < y));

Code:

/*Function to find minimum of x and y*/
int min(int x, int y)
{
  return y ^ ((x ^ y) & -(x < y));
}
 
/*Function to find maximum of x and y*/
int max(int x, int y)
{
  return x ^ ((x ^ y) & -(x < y)); 
}