Linear Search

Linear search is the simplest searching algorithm. It sequentially checks each element of the list until it finds the target value.

Steps:

• Start from the first element of the list.
• Compare each element of the list with the target value.
• If the element matches the target value, return its index.
• If the target value is not found after iterating through the entire list, return -1.

 

def linear_search(arr, target):
    """
    Perform linear search to find the target value in the given list.

    Parameters:
        arr (list): The list to be searched.
        target: The value to be searched for.

    Returns:
        int: The index of the target value if found, otherwise -1.
    """
    for i in range(len(arr)):
        if arr[i] == target:
            return i
    return -1

# Example usage:
arr = [2, 3, 4, 10, 40]
target = 10
result = linear_search(arr, target)
if result != -1:
    print(f"Linear Search: Element found at index {result}")
else:
    print("Linear Search: Element not found")