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Programming Concepts Beginner

What is Binary Search?

An efficient search algorithm that finds a target value in a sorted array by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half.

Binary search compares the target to the middle element. If smaller, search the left half; if larger, search the right half. Each step eliminates half the remaining elements, giving O(log n) time complexity — searching 1 million items takes at most 20 comparisons.

Prerequisites: the data must be sorted. Binary search is used in database index lookups, dictionary searches, and finding insertion points. Variations include lower/upper bound searches and bisection methods for continuous functions.

Related Terms

Dependency Injection
A design pattern where objects receive their dependencies from external sources rather than creating them internally.
Linked List
A linear data structure where elements are stored in nodes, each containing data and a pointer to the next node in the sequence.
Garbage Collection
An automatic memory management process that identifies and reclaims memory no longer in use by a program.
Composition over Inheritance
A design principle favoring object composition (has-a relationships) over class inheritance (is-a relationships) for code reuse.
Concurrency
The ability of a program to manage multiple tasks that can make progress during overlapping time periods.
Factory Pattern
A creational design pattern that provides an interface for creating objects without specifying their exact classes.
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