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In computer science, linear search or sequential search is a method for finding an element within a list. It sequentially checks each element of the list until a match is found or the whole list has been searched. [1] A linear search runs in linear time in the worst case, and makes at most n comparisons, where n is the length of
The following code example for the Java programming language is a simple implementation of a linear search. public int linearSearch ( int a [] , int valueToFind ) { //a[] is an array of integers to search. //valueToFind is the number that will be found.
The linear search problem for a general probability distribution is unsolved. [5] However, there exists a dynamic programming algorithm that produces a solution for any discrete distribution [6] and also an approximate solution, for any probability distribution, with any desired accuracy. [7]
Example comparing two search algorithms. To look for "Morin, Arthur" in some ficitious participant list, linear search needs 28 checks, while binary search needs 5. Svg version: File:Binary search vs Linear search example svg.svg.
The simplest, most general, and least efficient search structure is merely an unordered sequential list of all the items. Locating the desired item in such a list, by the linear search method, inevitably requires a number of operations proportional to the number n of items, in the worst case as well as in the average case. Useful search data ...
Specific applications of search algorithms include: Problems in combinatorial optimization, such as: . The vehicle routing problem, a form of shortest path problem; The knapsack problem: Given a set of items, each with a weight and a value, determine the number of each item to include in a collection so that the total weight is less than or equal to a given limit and the total value is as ...
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The aim of a self-organizing list is to improve efficiency of linear search by moving more frequently accessed items towards the head of the list. A self-organizing list achieves near constant time for element access in the best case. A self-organizing list uses a reorganizing algorithm to adapt to various query distributions at runtime.