binary search

binary search

A technique for quickly locating an item in a sequential list. The desired key is compared to the data in the middle of a sequential index or in the middle of a sequential file. The half that contains the data is then compared in the middle, and so on, either until the key is located or a small enough group is isolated to be sequentially searched. See binary.

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binary search [′bīn·ə·rē ′sərch]

(computer science)

A dichotomizing search in which the set of items to be searched is divided at each step into two equal, or nearly equal, parts. Also known as binary chop.

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(algorithm)

binary search - A search algorithm which repeatedly divides an ordered search space in half according to how the required (key) value compares with the middle element. The following pseudo-C routine performs a binary search return the index of the element of vector "thing[first..last]" equal to "target": if (target < thing[first] || target > thing[last]) return NOT_FOUND; while (first < last) mid = if (target == thing[last]) return last; return NOT_FOUND;