What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search?

₹0.0

Question: What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search?

Options:

Correct Answer: log n

Solution:

In the worst case, binary search will make log n comparisons, where n is the number of elements in the array.

What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search?

What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search?

Step 1: Understand what binary search is. It is a method to find an item in a sorted array by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half.
Step 2: Know that binary search starts by comparing the target value to the middle element of the array.
Step 3: If the middle element is not the target, the search continues in the half of the array where the target could be.
Step 4: Each time you divide the array, the number of elements to search through is halved.
Step 5: The process continues until the target is found or the search interval is empty.
Step 6: The worst-case scenario occurs when the target is not in the array or is found at the last possible comparison.
Step 7: The number of times you can halve the array is determined by the logarithm base 2 of the number of elements, which is log n.
Step 8: Therefore, in the worst case, binary search will make log n comparisons.

No concepts available.