A whole load of linear search algorithm videos

The linear search: a simple algorithm for searching for something.  It is what you do when you are searching for a matching sock in your sock drawer.  Nevertheless, students find it difficult to code, so presented here is a load of videos to help.

In its simplest form, the linear search is as follows.

i = 0         // the first item in your list
found = false // you haven't found it yet
answer = null // you haven't found it
while i < numberOfItems and not(found)
    if currentItem(i) == theThingYouAreLookingFor then
        found = true  // you found it
        answer = i    // the position of the thing
    else
        i ++          // increment i
    endif
endwhile
return ( answer )

In English:

Look through all the items in your list in turn, from the start, until you find the one you are looking for.  There are two ways a linear search can end: either you find the thing (so you stop searching), or you check everything and don't find it.

#linearSearch #algorithms

dd

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