This introduction covers Finding the Needle within Linear Search for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Linear Search in Algorithms for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 8 flashcards. This topic appears less often, but it can still be a useful differentiator on mixed-topic papers. It is section 2 of 7 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 2 of 7
Practice
15 questions
Recall
8 flashcards
Finding the Needle
Looking for something in a list? You have two strategies. Linear search is like looking for a word in a dictionary by starting at page 1 and reading every word - simple but slow. Binary search is how you actually use a dictionary - open to the middle, decide if your word is before or after, then repeat. Binary is MUCH faster, but the dictionary must be alphabetical (sorted)!