Search Algorithms

Sequential or Linear Search

Indexed Sequential Search
Binary Search
 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
 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;
 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;
}
 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.
 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;
 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;
}
 Efficiency of Linear Search
• Best Case Find at first place - one comparison
• Worst Case Find at nth place or not at all - n
comparisons
• Average Case It is shown below that this case takes -
(n+1)/2 comparisons
 In considering the average case there are n cases that can
occur, i.e. find at the first place, the second place, the third
place and so on up to the nth place. If found at the ith place
then i comparisons are required. Hence the average number
of comparisons over these n cases is:
 average = (1+2+3.....+n)/n = (n+1)/2 where the result was
used that 1+2+3 ...+n is equal to n(n+1)/2.
• Hence Linear Search is an O(n)
 Indexed Sequential Search
• Another technique to improve searching efficiency in
an ordered array.
• A sorted index is set aside in addition to the array
• Each element in the index points to a block of elements
in the array
 e.g., block of 10 or 20 elements
• The index is searched before the array and guides the
search in the array
 Sequential search is limited to smaller index table and a
smaller part of the array itself
• Involves an increase in space complexity
 Indexed Sequential Search
ISSearch(int a[], int n, int index[], int m, int
x)
{ int i,l,h;
for (i=0; i<m && index[i].key <= x; i++);
l = (i==0) ? 0 : index[i-1].ptr;
h = (i==n) ? n-1 : index[i].ptr;
for(i = l; i<=h && a[i] != x; i++);
return ((i>h) ? -1 : i);
{
If the table is too 321
large, secondary
index can be used
321
485

485

591
591

591 647
742

706 647

742

706

742
 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.
6
Copyright © 2000 by Brooks/Cole Publishing Company
A division of International Thomson Publishing Inc.
 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
o 1. If the value it holds is lower than the search element,
eliminate the first half of the array from further
consideration.
o 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.
 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;
 Iterative Binary Search
int binarySearch(int arr[], int n, int x)
{ int l, r, m;
l=0; r=n-1;
while (l <= r) {
int m = l + (r-l)/2;
// Check if x is present at mid
if (arr[m] == x)
return m;
// If x greater, ignore left half
if (arr[m] < x)
l = m + 1;
// If x is smaller, ignore right half
else
r = m - 1;
}
// if we reach here, then element was not present
return -1;
}
 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;
}
}
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)
return middle; 14 17
f mid last
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
A[4]
In this case, (first
== last)
return -1; 7
fml
 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
 Efficiency of Binary Search
• The efficiency of Binary search is not so easy
to derive as was the efficiency of Linear
search. It can be shown that the number of
comparisons required to find an entry is at
worst (and on average) O(log2(n)), where n is
the number of entries.