Binary search

By

Junaid Ali Siddiqui

What is Binary search?
 Suppose DATA is an array which is sorted
in any numerical order or equivalently
alphabetically .
 Then there is an extremely efficient
algorithm called binary search which can
be used to find the location LOC of a
given ITEM of information in DATA.
General idea about binary
search algorithm
 Suppose one wants to find the location of some name in a
telephone directory or some word in dictionary .
 Obviously one does not perform a linear search rather
one opens the directory in the middle to determine which
half contains the name being sought.
 Then one opens that half in the middle to determine
which quarter of the directory contains the name .
 Then one opens that quarter in the middle to determine
which eighth of the directory contains the name &so on.
 Eventually one finds the location of the name .
 Since one is reducing the possible locations for it in the
directory.
Binary search algorithm
In this algorithm
 DATA is a sorted array which is sorted in
ascending order with lower bound LB & upper
bound UB & ITEM is a given item of
information to be searched.
 The variables BEG , END & MID denote
respectively the beginning ,end & middle
locations of a segment of elements of DATA.
 This algorithm finds the location LOC of ITEM
in DATA or sets LOC equal to NULL.
BINARY(DATA,LB,UB,ITEM,LOC)
Step 1 : [Initialize segment variables]
Set BEG=LB,END=UB & MID=INT((BEG+END)/2).
Step 2 : Repeat Steps 3 & 4 while BEG <=END &DATA[MID ]!=ITEM
Step 3 : if(ITEM<DATA[MID] )
then
Set END:= MID-1
Else:
Set BEG:= MID +1
[End of if/else].
Step 4 : MID:=INT ((BEG+END)/2)
[End of while loop ].
Step 5 : if(DATA[MID]=ITEM)
then
Set LOC:=MID
Else:
Set LOC:=NULL
[End of if/else].
Step 6 : Exit.
Remark
 Whenever ITEM does not appear in
DATA ,the algorithm eventually arrives at
the stage that BEG=END=MID.
 Then the next step yeilds END <BEG &
control transfer to Step 5 of the algorithm.
Complexity of the Binary
search algorithm
 The complexity is measured by the number f(n) of
comparisons to locate ITEM in DATA where DATA
contains n elements.
 Observe that each comparison reduce the sample size in
half .
 Hence we require atmost f(n) comparisons to locate ITEM
where 2exp f(n)>n or equivalently f(n)= log2n + 1
 That is the running time for the worst case is
approximately equal to log2n .
 One can also show that the running time for the average
case is approximately equal to the running time for the
worst case.
Limitations of the binary search
algorithm
 Since the binary search algorithm is very efficient.
 Why would one want to use any other search
algorithm?
 Observe that the algorithm requires two
conditions.
(a) The list must be sorted.
(b) One must have direct access to middle element in
any sublist.
 This means that one must essentially use a sorted
array to hold the data but keeping data in a sorted
array is normally very expensive when there are
many insertions & deletions.
 Accordingly in such situations one may use a
different data structure such as link list or binary
search tree to store the data.
Message:
Friend ship is just like a snowball
easy to make hard to keep .So always
be sincere to your friends.
THANK YOU!
Reference:
Theory & problems of Data
structures by
Shaum’s series.