Programming

Searching
Arrays
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 2

Searching
The process used to find the location of a target
among a list of objects
Searching an array finds the index of first
element in an array containing that value

Copyright © 2000 by Broks/Cole Publishing Company

A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 3
successful

Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company

A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 4

unsuccessfu
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 5

Unordered Linear Search

Search an unordered array of integers for a
value and return its index if the value is found.
Otherwise, return -1.
A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]

14 2 10 5 1 3 17 2

Algorithm:
Start with the first array element (index 0)
while(more elements in array){
if value found at current index, return index;
Try next element (increment index);
}
Value not found, return -1;
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 6

Unordered Linear Search

// Searches an unordered array of integers
int search(int data[], //input: array
int size, //input: array size
int value){ //input: search value
// output: if found, return index;
// otherwise, return –1.
for(int index = 0; index < size; index++){
if(data[index] == value)
return index;
}
return -1;
}
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 7

Unordered Linear Search

#include <iostream>
Using namespace std;
int main() {
const int array_size = 8;
int list[array_size]={14,2,10,5,1,3,17,2};
int search_value;

cout << "Enter search value: ";

cin >> search_value;

cout << search(list,array_size,search_value)

<< endl;
return 0;
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 8

Ordered Linear Search

Search an ordered array of integers for a value
and return its index if the value is found;
Otherwise, return -1.
A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]

1 2 3 5 7 10 14 17

Linear search can stop immediately when it has

passed the possible position of the search value.
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 9

Ordered Linear Search

Algorithm:

Start with the first array element (index 0)

while(more elements in the array){
if value at current index is greater than value,
value not found, return –1;
if value found at current index, return index;
Try next element (increment index);
}
value not found, return –1;
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 10

Ordered Linear Search

// Searches an ordered array of integers
int lsearch(int data[],// input: array
int size, // input: array size
int value // input: value to find
) { // output: index if found
for(int index=0; index<size; index++){
if(data[index] > value)
return -1;
else if(data[index] == value)
return index;
}
return -1;
}
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 11

Ordered Linear Search

#include <iostream>
using namespace std;
int main() {
const int array_size = 8;
int list[array_size]={1,2,3,5,7,10,14,17};
int search_value;

cout << "Enter search value: ";

cin >> search_value;
cout << lsearch(list,array_size,search_value)
<< endl;

return 0;
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 12

Binary Search
Search an ordered array of integers for a value and return
its index if the value is found. Otherwise, return -1.

A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]

1 2 3 5 7 10 14 17

Binary search skips over parts of the array if the search

value cannot possibly be there.
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 13

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6
Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company
A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
 unsuccessful
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 14
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 15

Binary Search
Binary search is based on the “divide-and-
conquer” strategy which works as follows:
Start by looking at the middle element of the
array
– 1. If the value it holds is lower than the search
element, eliminate the first half of the array from
further consideration.
– 2. If the value it holds is higher than the search
element, eliminate the second half of the array from
further consideration.
Repeat this process until the element is found,
or until the entire array has been eliminated.
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 16

Binary Search
Algorithm:
Set first and last boundary of array to be searched
Repeat the following:
Find middle element between first and last boundaries;
if (middle element contains the search value)
return middle_element position;
else if (first >= last )
return –1;
else if (value < the value of middle_element)
set last to middle_element position – 1;
else
set first to middle_element position + 1;
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 17

Binary Search
// Searches an ordered array of integers
int bsearch(int data[], // input: array
int size, // input: array size
int value // input: value to find
) // output: if found,return index
{ // otherwise, return -1
int first, middle, last;
first = 0;
last = size - 1;
while (true) {
middle = (first + last) / 2;
if (data[middle] == value)
return middle;
else if (first >= last)
return -1;
else if (value < data[middle])
last = middle - 1;
else
first = middle + 1;
}
}
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 18

Binary Search
int main() {
const int array_size = 8;
int list[array_size]={1,2,3,5,7,10,14,17};
int search_value;

cout << "Enter search value: ";

cin >> search_value;
cout << bsearch(list,array_size,search_value)
<< endl;

return 0;
}
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 19
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Example: binary search
A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]
14 ? 1 2 3 5 7 10 14 17
first mid last
A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]
7 10 14 17
first mid last
A[6] A[7]
In this case,
(data[middle] == value) 14 17
return middle;
f mid last
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 20
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Example: binary search
A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]
8? 1 2 3 5 7 10 14 17
first mid last
A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]
7 10 14 17
first mid last

In this case, (first A[4]

== last)
return -1; 7
fml
COMP102 Prog. Fundamentals: Searching Arrays/ Slide 21
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Example: binary search
4? A[0] A[1] A[2] A[3] A[4] A[5] A[6] A[7]

1 2 3 5 7 10 14 17
first mid last
A[0] A[1] A[2]

1 2 3
first mid last
A[2]
In this case, (first
== last)
return -1; 3
fml