Linear Search Concept

How can we search an element in an array?

In linear search, we adopt the most naive method for searching.

• We look through the array in an orderly fashion, comparing each element with the element we would like to find, namely the query element.
• Whenever we find a matching element, we report the index of the matched element
• If we have traversed the entire array and not found a matching element, we report that the element is not present in the array.

When should we stop?

Important Observations

Let's take note of a few important observations :

• We do not require any ordering of the elements of the array to find a particular element in the array.
• This is because we iterate through the entire array for searching the element, so we are guaranteed to find the element if it present in the array.
• If the element is not present in the array we are guaranteed that the algorithm returns failure.

Step by Step Process for Searching an Element