Let us focus our discussions on linear search, performed on a typical Python list.
The preceding list has elements that are accessible through the list index. To find an element in the list we employ the linear searching technique. This technique traverses the list of elements, by using the index to move from the beginning of the list to the end. Each element is examined and if it does not match the search item, the next item is examined. By hopping from one item to its next, the list is traversed sequentially.
Note
In treating the sections in this chapter and others, we use a list with integers to enhance our understanding since integers lend themselves to easy comparison.
A list containing elements 60, 1, 88, 10, and 100 is an example of an unordered list. The items in the list have no order by magnitude. To perform a search operation on such a list, one proceeds from the very first item, compares that with the search item. If a match is not made the next...