Question

Write an algorithm for linear search with an example.

Answer 1

Linear search is the simplest searching algorithm. It checks every element in a list one by one until it finds the target value or reaches the end.

Example:

List: [10, 50, 30, 70, 80]

Target: 30

• Step 1: Compare 10 with 30. (No match)
• Step 2: Compare 50 with 30. (No match)
• Step 3: Compare 30 with 30. (Match found!)
• Result: Return Index 2.

def linear_search(arr, target):
    for i in range(len(arr)):
        if arr[i] == target:
            return i
    return -1