Linear Search Explained: A Step-by-Step Guide to Sequential Search

Linear Search, also known as Sequential Search, is one of the simplest searching algorithms used in computer science. It is often the first algorithm beginners learn because of its straightforward logic and ease of implementation. In a linear search, each element in a list or array is checked one by one from the beginning until the target element is found or the end of the list is reached. This method does not require the list to be sorted, making it suitable for unsorted data. How it works: Suppose you are searching for the number 7 in an array: [2, 4, 7, 9, 10]. The algorithm starts at index 0 and compares each element to 7. It checks 2 (not a match), then 4 (still not a match), and finally 7, which is the target. At this point, the search ends and returns the index. While linear search is easy to understand and code, it is not very efficient for large datasets. In the worst case, it may check every single item, leading to a time complexity of O(n).