Which technique divides an ordered list into two halves with each comparison?

Which technique divides an ordered list into two halves with each comparison?

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

Answer: (D)

Binary search is the technique that divides an ordered list into halves with each comparison. In a sorted list, you compare the target to the middle element. If it matches, you’re done. If the target is smaller, you know it can only be in the lower half, so you discard the upper half; if larger, you discard the lower half. Either way, the number of remaining candidates is cut roughly in half with every comparison. This halving continues until you find the element or confirm it isn’t present, resulting in a time complexity of about O(log n). This approach relies on the list being sorted, and it’s different from sorting routines like bubble sort or merge sort, which reorganize items rather than search by halving the search space.

Binary search is the technique that divides an ordered list into halves with each comparison. In a sorted list, you compare the target to the middle element. If it matches, you’re done. If the target is smaller, you know it can only be in the lower half, so you discard the upper half; if larger, you discard the lower half. Either way, the number of remaining candidates is cut roughly in half with every comparison. This halving continues until you find the element or confirm it isn’t present, resulting in a time complexity of about O(log n). This approach relies on the list being sorted, and it’s different from sorting routines like bubble sort or merge sort, which reorganize items rather than search by halving the search space.