What happens if you apply binary search on a sorted array with duplicate element

₹0.0

Question: What happens if you apply binary search on a sorted array with duplicate elements?

Options:

Correct Answer: It can find any occurrence

Solution:

Binary search can find any occurrence of the element, but it does not guarantee which one.

What happens if you apply binary search on a sorted array with duplicate elements?

What happens if you apply binary search on a sorted array with duplicate elements?

Step 1: Start with a sorted array that contains duplicate elements.
Step 2: Choose a target value that you want to find in the array.
Step 3: Set two pointers: one at the beginning of the array (left) and one at the end (right).
Step 4: Calculate the middle index by using the formula: middle = (left + right) / 2.
Step 5: Check the value at the middle index.
Step 6: If the middle value is equal to the target, you have found an occurrence of the target.
Step 7: If the middle value is less than the target, move the left pointer to middle + 1.
Step 8: If the middle value is greater than the target, move the right pointer to middle - 1.
Step 9: Repeat steps 4 to 8 until the left pointer is greater than the right pointer.
Step 10: If you find the target, remember that there may be other occurrences in the array, but binary search does not specify which one you found.

Binary Search – A search algorithm that finds the position of a target value within a sorted array by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half.
Sorted Array with Duplicates – An array that is ordered but contains multiple instances of the same value.
Occurrence of Elements – In the context of binary search, it refers to the ability to locate any instance of a target value, but not necessarily the first or last occurrence.