Linear search is a method to find the particular item in an array. It compares each item with search item until it finds. The linear search performs on non-sorted items in the array.
Linear search is a simple search algorithm to find the items from the unsorted array. If the array sorted, the developer can use Binary search which search the item in less number of comparison.
Write a program to implement linear search.
source Code
package com.dsacode.Algorithm.search;
import java.util.Arrays;
public class LinearSearch {
public static int search(int a[], int x){
for(int i = 0; i < a.length; i++){
if(a[i] ==x)
return i+1;
}
return -1;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
int[] array = {12, 55, 45, 11, 23, 20, 17, 24, 9};
System.out.println("List of items in the array: "+ Arrays.toString(array));
int pos = -1;
System.out.println("Search '12' in the array using linear search");
if( (pos= search(array,12)) == -1)
System.out.println("Not found!");
else
System.out.println("Found in " + pos + " Position!");
}
}
Output
List of items in the array: [12, 55, 45, 11, 23, 20, 17, 24, 9] Search '12' in the array using linear search Found in 1 Position!
Algorithm Explanation
 | Linear search takes each item from the list sequentially and compare with search item. |
| If the search process finds the item in an array, it returns the item or position. |
| Otherwise, it return -1. |
Time Complexity
| Best Case | Average Case | Worst Case |
|---|---|---|
| O(1) | O(n/2) | O(n) |