Exploring Array Searching in C++ | Data Structure and Algorithm

Introduction

Array searching is a fundamental operation in computer science and is used to find the presence of an element within a collection of data. Two common methods for array searching are linear search and binary search.

Linear Search

Linear search is a simple search algorithm that checks every element in a collection until a match is found. It starts from the beginning of the array and iterates through each element until the desired element is found or the end of the array is reached.

Pseudocode:

function linearSearch(array, target):
    for each element in array:
        if element equals target:
            return index of element
    return -1  // element not found

Time Complexity:

• Best Case: O(1) - when the target element is found at the beginning

• Worst Case: O(n) - when the target element is at the end or not present

• Average Case: O(n)

Space Complexity: O(1) - constant space is used

Binary Search

Binary search is an efficient algorithm for finding a target element in a sorted collection. It works by repeatedly dividing the search range in half.

Pseudocode:

function binarySearch(array, target):
    left = 0
    right = length of array - 1
    while left <= right:
        mid = (left + right) / 2
        if array[mid] equals target:
            return mid  // target found
        else if array[mid] < target:
            left = mid + 1
        else:
            right = mid - 1
    return -1  // target not found

Time Complexity:

• Best Case: O(1) - when the target element is found at the middle

• Worst Case: O(log n) - when the array is large

• Average Case: O(log n)

Space Complexity: O(1) - constant space is used

C++ Implementation

Here's a simple C++ program showcasing both linear and binary search:

#include <iostream>

using namespace std;

// Linear search without using STL
int linearSearch(const int array[], int size, int target) {
    for (int i = 0; i < size; ++i) {
        if (array[i] == target) {
            return i;
        }
    }
    return -1;
}

// Binary search without using STL
int binarySearch(const int array[], int size, int target) {
    int left = 0;
    int right = size - 1;

    while (left <= right) {
        int mid = left + (right - left) / 2;
        if (array[mid] == target) {
            return mid;
        } else if (array[mid] < target) {
            left = mid + 1;
        } else {
            right = mid - 1;
        }
    }

    return -1;
}

int main() {
    int sortedArray[] = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10};
    int size = sizeof(sortedArray) / sizeof(sortedArray[0]);
    int target = 7;

    // Linear Search
    int linearResult = linearSearch(sortedArray, size, target);
    cout << "Linear Search Result: " << linearResult << endl;

    // Binary Search
    int binaryResult = binarySearch(sortedArray, size, target);
    cout << "Binary Search Result: " << binaryResult << endl;

    return 0;
}

In this program, we define functions for both linear and binary search and demonstrate their usage with a sorted array.