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")
