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# Instructions | ||
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Your task is to implement a binary search algorithm. | ||
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A binary search algorithm finds an item in a list by repeatedly splitting it in half, only keeping the half which contains the item we're looking for. | ||
It allows us to quickly narrow down the possible locations of our item until we find it, or until we've eliminated all possible locations. | ||
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```exercism/caution | ||
Binary search only works when a list has been sorted. | ||
``` | ||
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The algorithm looks like this: | ||
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- Divide the sorted list in half and compare the middle element with the item we're looking for. | ||
- If the middle element is our item, then we're done. | ||
- If the middle element is greater than our item, we can eliminate that number and all the numbers **after** it. | ||
- If the middle element is less than our item, we can eliminate that number and all the numbers **before** it. | ||
- Repeat the process on the part of the list that we kept. | ||
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Here's an example: | ||
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Let's say we're looking for the number 23 in the following sorted list: `[4, 8, 12, 16, 23, 28, 32]`. | ||
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- We start by comparing 23 with the middle element, 16. | ||
- Since 23 is greater than 16, we can eliminate the left half of the list, leaving us with `[23, 28, 32]`. | ||
- We then compare 23 with the new middle element, 28. | ||
- Since 23 is less than 28, we can eliminate the right half of the list: `[23]`. | ||
- We've found our item. |
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# Introduction | ||
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You have stumbled upon a group of mathematicians who are also singer-songwriters. | ||
They have written a song for each of their favorite numbers, and, as you can imagine, they have a lot of favorite numbers. | ||
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You are curious to hear the song for your favorite number, but with so many songs to wade through, finding the right song could take a while. | ||
Fortunately, they have organized their songs in a playlist sorted by the title — which is simply the number that the song is about. | ||
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You realize that you can use a binary search algorithm to quickly find a song given the title. |
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The admonition spec says these should be 4 tildes as this doesn't seem like an exceptional circumstance.