What is Linear Search? and How does it work?

Linear Search, also known as Sequential Search is the most basic method for searching an element in an array or a list. The type of this algorithm is Brute Force (Brute Force algorithms are straightforward methods of searching elements. They mainly focus on trying every possibility instead of improving efficiency).

A linear search algorithm sequentially compares each element of an array/list with a component we want to find. It continuously does the same until it finds the match or the whole array/list has been searched. The main benefit of this algorithm is that it does not rely on the arrangement of the elements in an array, so the array does not need to be sorted.

Example

Let’s consider an array of 5 elements. i.e. arr[] = [2, 23, 4, 54, 55]. We want to search out 54 from the array. The linear search algorithm will iterate through an array until it finds the match.

Look at the below illustration to understand the steps taken by our algorithm:

What is big O notation?

Big O notation is a mathematical notation invented by Paul Bachmann, Edmund Landau, and others. It describes the limitation of a function for the given argument.

In computer science, big O notation is used to understand the requirement of time and space for the given input size. In simple terms, it is used in computer science to determine the efficiency or performance of an algorithm.

What is the Time complexity of Linear Search? The time complexity of an algorithm is the amount of time required to execute it. The result of time complexity calculation depends on many factors including the size of…