A method for finding an extreme value among a plurality of numbers in an associative memory includes creating a spread-out representation (SOR) for each number of the plurality of numbers, storing each SOR in a column of the associative memory array and performing a horizontal bit-wise Boolean operation on rows of the associative memory array to produce an extreme SOR (ESOR) having the extreme value. A system for finding an extreme value includes an associative memory array to store the plurality of numbers, each number storable in a column; a spread-out representation (SOR) creator to create a SOR for each number of the plurality of numbers and to store each SOR in a column of the associative memory array, and an extreme SOR (ESOR) finder to find an extreme value using a horizontal bit-wise Boolean operation on rows of the associative memory array storing bits of the SORs.