Searching Algorithms

Searching algorithms are used to find the presence or location of a specific element within a data structure. They are an essential part of problem-solving and can be implemented in various ways depending on the characteristics of the data.

Here are some common searching algorithms:

• Linear Search: iterates through each element in a data structure until the target element is found.
• Binary Search: searches a sorted data structure by repeatedly dividing the search space in half.
• Hashing: maps the target element to its location in a data structure using a hash function.

Let's take a closer look at the Binary Search algorithm in Java:

1{code}

In the above code, we have an array of integers and a target element. The binarySearch function uses the binary search algorithm to find the index of the target element in the array. It starts by setting the left and right boundaries of the search space, then iteratively adjusts the boundaries based on the comparison with the middle element.

By understanding and implementing various searching algorithms, you can efficiently search for elements within data structures, optimize search performance, and solve searching-related problems.

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}

class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {

    // Binary Search

    int[] array = {2, 5, 8, 12, 16, 23, 38, 56};

    int target = 16;

    int result = binarySearch(array, target);

    System.out.println(result);

  }

​

  static int binarySearch(int[] array, int target) {

    int left = 0;

    int right = array.length - 1;

​

    while (left <= right) {

      int mid = left + (right - left) / 2;

​

      if (array[mid] == target) {

        return mid;

      }

​

      if (array[mid] < target) {

        left = mid + 1;

      } else {

        right = mid - 1;

      }

    }

​

    return -1;

  }