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6.6: Searching Arrays

  • Page ID
    10693
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    Overview

    Linear search or sequential search is a method for finding a target value within a list. It sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all the elements have been searched.[1]

    Discussion

    Finding a specific member of an array means searching the array until the member is found. It’s possible that the member does not exist and the programmer must handle that possibility within the logic of his or her algorithm.

    “The linear search is a very simple algorithm. Sometimes called a sequential search, it uses a loop to sequentially step through an array, starting with the first element. It compares each element with the value being searched for, and stops when either the value is found or the end of the array is encountered. If the value being searched for is not in the array, the algorithm will search to the end of the array.”[2]

    Two specific linear searches can be made for the maximum (largest) value in the array or the minimum (smallest) value in the array. Maximum and minimum are also known as max and min. Note that the following max and min functions assume an array size >= 1.

    Pseudocode

    Function Main
        Declare Integer Array ages[5]
        Declare Integer maximum
        Declare Integer minimum
        
        Assign ages = [49, 48, 26, 19, 16]
    
        Assign maximum = max(ages)
        Assign minimum = min(ages)
    
        Output "Maximum age is: " & maximum
        Output "Minimum age is: " & minimum
    End
    
    Function max (Integer Array array)
        Declare Integer maximum
        Declare Integer index
        
        Assign maximum = array[0]
        For index = 1 to Size(array) - 1
            If maximum < array[index] 
                Assign maximum = array[index] 
            End 
        End 
    Return Integer maximum 
    
    Function min (Integer Array array) 
        Declare Integer minimum 
        Declare Integer index 
    
        Assign minimum = array[0] 
        For index = 1 to Size(array) - 1 
            If minimum > array[index]
                Assign minimum = array[index]
            End
        End
    Return Integer minimum
    

    Output

    Maximum age is: 49
    Minimum age is: 16
    

    Key Terms

    linear search
    Using a loop to sequentially step through an array.
    maximum
    Aka max or the largest member of an array.
    minimum
    Aka min or the smallest member of an array.

    References


    1. Wikipedia: Linear search
    2. Tony Gaddis, Judy Walters, and Godfrey Muganda, Starting Out with C++ Early Objects Sixth Edition (United States of America: Pearson – Addison Wesley, 2008) 559.

    6.6: Searching Arrays is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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