If an array contains 32 elements, how many iterations will binary search take in
Practice Questions
Q1
If an array contains 32 elements, how many iterations will binary search take in the worst case?
4
5
6
7
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If an array contains 32 elements, how many iterations will binary search take in the worst case?
Step 1: Understand that binary search works by repeatedly dividing the array in half.
Step 2: Know that the maximum number of times you can divide an array of size n is determined by the logarithm base 2 of n.
Step 3: For this question, n is 32, so we need to calculate log2(32).
Step 4: Recognize that 32 can be expressed as 2 raised to the power of 5 (since 2^5 = 32).
Step 5: Therefore, log2(32) equals 5, which means in the worst case, binary search will take 5 iterations.
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 iterations grows logarithmically with the size of the array.