Which algorithm searches by checking each item in a list from start to end?

Which algorithm searches by checking each item in a list from start to end?

• A. Bubble Sort
• B. Merge Sort
• C. Linear Search
• D. Binary Search

Answer: (C)

This is about finding an item by checking each element one by one from the start to the end. This approach is called a linear search: you compare the target to the first element, if it isn’t a match you move to the next element, and you continue until you find the match or reach the end of the list. It’s simple and works on any list, whether or not it’s sorted. Its performance scales with the number of items, being fastest if the match is early and slowest if you have to check every element. Bubble sort and merge sort are sorting methods, not search methods, so they aren’t how you search. Binary search, on the other hand, requires the list to be sorted and works by repeatedly halving the search range rather than checking every item.

This is about finding an item by checking each element one by one from the start to the end. This approach is called a linear search: you compare the target to the first element, if it isn’t a match you move to the next element, and you continue until you find the match or reach the end of the list. It’s simple and works on any list, whether or not it’s sorted. Its performance scales with the number of items, being fastest if the match is early and slowest if you have to check every element.

Bubble sort and merge sort are sorting methods, not search methods, so they aren’t how you search. Binary search, on the other hand, requires the list to be sorted and works by repeatedly halving the search range rather than checking every item.