What happens if the target value is not present in the array during a binary sea

Practice Questions

Q1
What happens if the target value is not present in the array during a binary search?
  1. The search returns the index of the closest value
  2. The search returns -1
  3. The search continues indefinitely
  4. The search throws an error

Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions

What happens if the target value is not present in the array during a binary search?
  • Step 1: Start with a sorted array and a target value you want to find.
  • Step 2: Set two pointers, one at the beginning of the array (left) and one at the end (right).
  • Step 3: Calculate the middle index of the array using the formula: middle = (left + right) / 2.
  • Step 4: Check if the value at the middle index is equal to the target value.
  • Step 5: If it is equal, return the middle index as the position of the target value.
  • Step 6: If the target value is less than the middle value, move the right pointer to middle - 1.
  • Step 7: If the target value is greater than the middle value, move the left pointer to middle + 1.
  • Step 8: Repeat steps 3 to 7 until the left pointer is greater than the right pointer.
  • Step 9: If the left pointer exceeds the right pointer, it means the target value is not in the array.
  • Step 10: Return -1 to indicate that the target value is absent.
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