How to Implement Linear Search in Java

LINEAR SEARCH IN JAVA 🌟 1. What is Linear Search? Linear Search (also called Sequential Search) is the simplest searching algorithm. It checks each element one by one until the desired element (called the key or target) is found — or until the list ends. ✅ Key Idea: “Start from the first element and compare each element with the target until you find it.” 2. Example Suppose you have this array: arr = [5, 9, 2, 8, 1, 3] target = 8 Step-by-step search: Step Element Comparison Result 1 5 5 == 8 ? ❌ Continue 2 9 9 == 8 ? ❌ Continue 3 2 2 == 8 ? ❌ Continue 4 8 8 == 8 ? ✅ Found at index 3 👉 Output: Element found at index 3 (0-based indexing).  3. Algorithm (Step-by-Step) Start from index 0. Compare arr[i] with the key. If arr[i] == key, return the index. If not, move to the next element. If the end of the array is reached → element not found. 4. Dry Run (Trace) i arr[i] key arr[i]==key? Action 0 5 8 ❌ Continue 1 9 8 ❌ Continue 2 2 8 ❌ Continue 3 8 8 ✅ Found → Break 4. Characteristics ✅ Simple and easy to implement ✅ Works on unsorted or sorted arrays ❌ Inefficient for large datasets ❌ Slow compared to Binary Search (which works only on sorted arrays) 5.. When to Use Linear Search? Use Linear Search when: The data is small or unsorted. You don’t want to sort before searching. Simplicity is preferred over speed. Avoid it when: The dataset is large (use Binary Search instead).  6.Real-World Example Searching for a specific name in a small contact list on a phone. Finding a book by title in an unsorted bookshelf. Checking a student roll number in a small class record. #Java #JavaFullStack #Programming #LinearSearch #Codegnan Anand Kumar Buddarapu Saketh Kallepu Uppugundla Sairam

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