How can I search for an element in an array?

How can I search for an element in an array?

You can use various methods like linear search or binary search. Which one would you like to know more about?

What's the difference between linear search and binary search?

Linear search checks each element one by one, while binary search divides the array and checks the middle element, making it faster for sorted arrays.

Can you show me an example of binary search in Python?

Sure! Here's a simple implementation:

def binary_search(arr, target):
    left, right = 0, len(arr) - 1
    while left <= right:
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        if arr[mid] == target:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < target:
            left = mid + 1
        else:
            right = mid - 1
    return -1

This function returns the index of the target if found, or -1 if not.

Thanks! How do I know if my array is sorted?

You can check if an array is sorted by comparing each element with the next one. If all elements are in order, it's sorted.