Searching is a method of finding some elements from an array or a list. In this article, we will study linear search vs binary search with algorithm and example.

There are two popular methods for searching the array elements:

• Linear Search
• Binary Search

The algorithm that should be used depends entirely on how the values are organized in the array.

For example, if the elements of the array are arranged in ascending order, then binary search should be used, as it is more efficient for sorted lists in terms of complexity.

## Linear Search

Linear search, also called as sequential search, is a very simple method used for searching an array for a particular value. It works by comparing the value to be searched with every element of the array one by one in a sequence until a match is found.

Linear search is mostly used to search an unordered list of elements (array in which data elements are not sorted). For example, if an array A[10] is declared and initialized as,

int A[10] = {10, 8, 2, 7, 3, 4, 9, 1, 6, 5};
Val = 7  then  Pos = 3

### Linear Search Algorithm

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### Complexity of Linear Search Algorithm

Linear search executes in O(n) time where n is the number of elements in the array.

Obviously, the best case of linear search is when VAL is equal to the first element of the array. In this case, only one comparison will be made.

Likewise, the worst case will happen when either VAL is not present in the array or it is equal to the last element of the array. In both the cases, n comparisons will have to be made.

## Binary Search

Binary search is a searching algorithm that works efficiently with a sorted list.

The mechanism of binary search can be better understood by an analogy of a telephone directory. When we are searching for a particular name in a directory, we first open the directory from the middle and then decide whether to look for the name in the first part of the directory or in the second part of the directory. Again, we open some page in the middle and the whole process is repeated until we finally find the right name.

The same mechanism is applied in the binary search.

Now, let us consider how this mechanism is applied to search for a value in a sorted array.

Consider an array A[11] that is declared and initialized as,

int A[11] = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10};
and
value to be searched is VAL = 9

The algorithm will proceed in the following manner.

BEG = 0, END = 10, MID = (0 + 10)/2 = 5
Now, VAL = 9 and A[MID] = A[5] = 5

A[5] is less than VAL, therefore, we now search for the value in the second half of the array. So, we change the values of BEG and MID.

Now, BEG = MID + 1 = 6, END = 10, MID = (6 + 10)/2 =16/2 = 8
VAL = 9 and A[MID] = A[8] = 8

A[8] is less than VAL, therefore, we now search for the value in the second half of the segment.
So, again we change the values of BEG and MID.

Now, BEG = MID + 1 = 9, END = 10, MID = (9 + 10)/2 = 9
Now, VAL = 9 and A[MID] = 9.

The algorithm will terminate when A[MID] = VAL. When the algorithm ends, we will set POS = MID. POS is the position at which the value is present in the array.

However, if VAL is not equal to A[MID], then the values of BEG, END, and MID will be changed depending on whether VAL is smaller or greater than A[MID].

(a) If VAL < A[MID], then VAL will be present in the left segment of the array. So, the value of END will be changed as END = MID – 1.

(b) If VAL > A[MID], then VAL will be present in the right segment of the array. So, the value of BEG will be changed as BEG = MID + 1.

### Binary Search Algorithm

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