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

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Question: What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search on an array of size n?

Options:

Correct Answer: log n

Solution:

In the worst case, binary search makes log n comparisons to find the target or determine its absence.

What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search on an array of size n?

What is the worst-case scenario for the number of comparisons in binary search on an array of size n?

Step 1: Understand what binary search is. It is a method to find a target value 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 equal to the target, the search is complete.
Step 4: If the target is less than the middle element, the search continues in the left half of the array.
Step 5: If the target is greater than the middle element, the search continues in the right half of the array.
Step 6: Each time the search interval is halved, which reduces the number of elements to search.
Step 7: The worst-case scenario occurs when the target is not found or is at one of the ends of the search.
Step 8: The number of times you can halve the array until you reach one element is log base 2 of n (written as log n).
Step 9: Therefore, in the worst case, binary search makes log n comparisons.

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