Algorithms

What is pseudocode?

• Simplified programming language, that is not a specific language
• Complicated programming language
• Simple programming language, which is linked to a specific language
• A type of cheese

What does a searching algorithm do?

• Search through a set of data
• Save a set of data
• Help to organise data

Which of these is a type of searching algorithm?

• Linear search
• Word search
• Search engine
  

An algorithm is...

• A set of steps to solve a problem
• When you sort data into the correct order
• When you search data for a specific value
• Any written code

Which of the following is the best description of the linear search algorithm?

• Put the elements in order, then go through them one by one until target is found or the end of the list is reached.
• Put the elements in order, compare with the middle value, if not the target: continue to the left or right of the middle and repeat. 
• Elements do not need to be in order. Go through them one by one until target is found or the end of the list is reached.
• Elements do not need to be in order, compare with the middle value, if not the target: continue to the left or right of the middle and repeat. 

Which of the following is the best description of the binary search algorithm?

• Put the elements in order, then go through them one by one until target is found or the end of the list is reached.
• Put the elements in order, compare with the middle value, if not the target: continue to the left or right of the middle and repeat. 
• Elements do not need to be in order. Go through them one by one until target is found or the end of the list is reached.
• Elements do not need to be in order, compare with the middle value, if not the target: continue to the left or right of the middle and repeat. 

As the data set grows in size, linear search becomes more efficient than binary search. 

• True
• False

How many comparisons would it take to find the value 7 in the following list using a linear search?
[1, 4, 7, 8, 5, 2, 9]

• 3
• 4
• 2
• Not possible, list is out of order

How many comparisons would it take to find the value 2 in the following list using a binary search?
[1, 4, 7, 8, 5, 2, 9]

• 3
• 2
• 6
• Not possible, list is out of order

How many comparisons would it take to find the value 2 in the following list using a binary search?
[1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9]

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4