How Does A Binary Search Work?

How does binary search work?

Binary search is an efficient algorithm to find an element in an ordered list of elements. It works by repeatedly dividing the part of the list that can contain the element into two parts until the possible positions are reduced to one.

For example, how does binary search work?

Binary search is a fast search algorithm with execution complexity Ο(log n). … For this algorithm to work properly, the data collection must be ordered. Binary search finds a particular element by comparing the central element of the collection. If a match occurs, the index of the element is returned.

How does the binary search algorithm work?

Binary search works with ordered arrays. A binary search begins by comparing the element in the center of the array with the target value. If the target value matches an element, its position in the array is returned. If the target value is less than the element, the search continues in the lower half of the array.

How to do a binary search?

Binary Search – Searches an ordered array by repeatedly dividing the search range by two. It starts with a range that spans the entire array. If the value of the search key is less than the element in the middle of the range, reduce the range to the lower half. Otherwise, reduce it to the top half.

What are the two requirements for using binary search?

The data structure must be sorted (low order) for any non-linear search to work. The data structure must be sorted in the same order as the binary search algorithm.

What are the four steps of a binary search algorithm?

Binary search algorithm

  1. Step 1 Read the user’s search item.
  2. Step 2 Find the middle item in the ordered list.
  3. Step 3 – Compare your search query with the middle entry in the sorted list.
  4. Step 4 If both match, the displayed item will be found! and exit the function.

What are the benefits of binary search?

The main advantage of binary search is that it doesn’t scan every item in the list. Instead of scanning each item, look at the middle of the list. Therefore, binary search takes less time to find an item than linear search.

What is not required for a binary search algorithm?

Which of the following is not a prerequisite for a binary search algorithm? The list must be ordered. In each sublist direct access to the intermediate element must be possible. There should be a mechanism to remove and/or add items to the list.

What does a binary search return if not found?

Array # binarySearch() returns the index of the element searched for or, if not found, returns (index 1) where index is the position at which the element will be inserted in the sorted array.