If a sorted array has 16 elements, how many comparisons will binary search make
Practice Questions
Q1
If a sorted array has 16 elements, how many comparisons will binary search make in the worst case?
4
5
16
8
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If a sorted array has 16 elements, how many comparisons will binary search make in the worst case?
Step 1: Understand that binary search is a method used to find an element in a sorted array.
Step 2: Know that binary search works by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half.
Step 3: Recognize that the number of comparisons made by binary search in the worst case can be calculated using the formula log2(n), where n is the number of elements in the array.
Step 4: Since the array has 16 elements, substitute n with 16 in the formula: log2(16).
Step 5: Calculate log2(16). Since 16 is 2 raised to the power of 4 (2^4 = 16), log2(16) equals 4.
Step 6: Conclude that in the worst case, binary search will make 4 comparisons.
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.
Logarithmic Complexity – The time complexity of binary search is O(log n), which indicates that the number of comparisons grows logarithmically with the number of elements.
