Study Guides

Unit Summary

In this unit pupils will have opportunities to analyse, interpret, modify, and implement a range of searching and sorting algorithms. They will have the opportunity to compare the features and efficiency of these algorithms and make suggestions about the most suitable algorithm for a given task.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain why computers need to search data and perform a linear search to find the position of an item in a list.

Key Notes

• Computers can quickly search through large amounts of data to find what is needed.
• Linear search is an algorithm that involves checking each item in a list of data one at a time.
• Linear search is able to find items that are in any order.
• The best-case scenario of a linear search is when the search item is the very first one in the list.
• The worst-case scenario is when the item you are looking for is the very last one in the list or it isn't in the list.

Vocabulary To Learn

• linear search: an algorithm that searches for an item in a list of items by systematically examining each item, one after another
• best-case: this scenario occurs when the item you are looking for results in the smallest possible number of steps
• worst-case: this scenario takes place when the item you are looking for results in the greatest possible number of steps

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• A linear search can only be used on lists or sequences of numbers.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Binary search Study Guide
• Bubble sort Study Guide
• Code sorting algorithms Study Guide
• Coding sorting algorithms Study Guide
• Comparing searching algorithms Study Guide
• Insertion sort Study Guide
• Merge sort Study Guide
• Practice searching and sorting algorithms Study Guide