Searching in an array
CS10003 PROGRAMMING AND DATA STRUCTURES
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Searching
Check if a given element (called key) occurs in the array.
• Example: array of student records; rollno can be the key.
Two methods to be discussed:
a) If the array elements are unsorted.
• Linear search
b) If the array elements are sorted.
• Binary search
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Basic Concept of Linear Search
Basic idea
• Start at the beginning of the array.
• Inspect elements one by one to see if it matches the key.
• If a match is found, return the array index where the match was found.
• If no match is found, a special value is returned (like –1).
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Linear Search (contd.)
Function linear_search returns the array index where a match is found.
It returns –1 if there is no match.
int linear_search (int a[], int size, int key)
{
int pos = 0;
while ((pos < size) && (key != a[pos]))
pos++;
if (pos < size)
return pos; /* Return the position of match */
return -1; /* No match found */
}
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Time Complexity of Linear Search
A measure of how many basic operations an algorithm needs to perform before terminating.
Example of basic operation: match / compare two elements.
• If there are n elements in the array:
• Best case:
match found in first element (1 search operation)
• Worst case:
no match found, or match found in the last element (n search operations)
• Average case: (n + 1) / 2 search operations
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Binary Search
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Basic Concept
Binary search is applicable if the array is sorted.
Basic Idea
• Look for the target in the middle.
• If you don’t find the key, you can ignore half of the array, and repeat the process with the
other half.
In every step, we reduce, by a factor of two, the number of elements to search from.
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The Basic Strategy
What do we want?
• Plan to find the array index between values larger and smaller than key:
0 n-1
x: <= key > key
L R
• Situation while searching:
• Initially, the search window is the entire array, that is, L and R are initialized to the
indices of the first and the last elements.
• Look at the element at index [(L+R)/2].
• Discard one half of the search window depending on the outcome of test.
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Initialization and Return Value
int bin_search (int x[], int size, int key)
{
int L, R, mid; If key appears in x[0…size–1], return its
L = 0; R = size - 1; location, pos such that x[pos]==key.
while (L != R)
{ If not found, return –1
mid = (L + R) / 2;
if (key <= x[mid]) R = mid;
else L = mid + 1;
}
if (key == x[L])
return L;
else
return -1;
}
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Binary Search Examples
Sorted array
-17 -5 3 6 12 21 45 63 50
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Trace
bin_search (x, 9, 3); binsearch(x, 9, 2);
L R M key <= x[M]? L R M key <= x[M]?
0 8 4 3 <= 12? [True] 0 8 4 2 <= 12? [True]
0 4 2 3 <= 3? [True] 0 4 2 2 <= 3? [True]
0 2 1 3 <= -5? [False] 0 2 1 2 <= -5? [False]
2 2 [Loop terminates] 2 2 [Loop terminates]
key == x[L]? [True] key == x[L]? [False]
We can modify the algorithm by checking equality with x[mid].
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Another Version of Iterative Binary Search
int bin_search_1 (int x[], int size, int key)
{
int L, R, mid;
L = 0; R = size-1;
while (L <= R)
{
mid = (L + R) / 2;
if (key == x[mid]) return mid;
if (key < x[mid]) R = mid - 1;
else L = mid + 1;
}
return -1;
}
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Unsorted vs Sorted Array Search: Where’s the difference?
Suppose that the array x has 1000 elements.
Linear search
If key is a member of x, it would require about 500 comparisons on the average.
Binary search
• After 1st compare, left with 500 elements.
• After 2nd compare, left with 250 elements.
• After at most 10 steps, you are done.
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Time Complexity
If there are n elements in the array.
• Number of iterations required:
log2n
2k = n, where k is the
For n = 64 (say).
number of steps.
• Initially, list size = 64.
• After first compare, list size = 32.
• After second compare, list size = 16. log264 = 6
• After third compare, list size = 8. log21024 = 10
• …
• After sixth compare, list size = 1.
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Recursive Version of Binary Search
The algorithm for binary search directly leads to a recursive formulation.
• The algorithm is called recursively by adjusting the left or right pointers, as applicable.
• The base condition is: the element is found, or the left and right pointers cross.
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int binarySearch (int x[], int L, int R, int key)
{
int mid; Returns location of key in given array
if (L <= R) {
arr[L … R] if present, otherwise –1
mid = (L + R) / 2;
if (key == x[mid]) // If the element is present at the middle
return mid;
if (key < x[mid]) // Look into the left subarray
return binarySearch (x, L, mid-1, key);
else // Look into the right subarray
return binarySearch (x, mid+1, R, key);
}
// Element is not present in array
return -1; int result = binarySearch (arr, 0, n-1, key);
} if (result == -1)
printf ("Key is not present in array\n");
else
printf("Key is present at index %d\n", result);
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