AQA A’Level SLR05 Binary search
About this video
AQA Specification Reference
A Level 4.3.4.2
An alternative to a linear search, the binary search starts in the middle of a list and removes half of the items from the list until the item you are looking for is found. It is usually more efficient than a linear search. This video introduces the algorithm.
Key questions:
- Can you successfully implement a binary search in a high-level programming language of your choice?
- Do you understand how a binary search works, and can you trace its code to explain how it works?
00:00 Binary search
00:09 Intro
00:14 What is the binary search algorithm?
00:37 What are the applications of a binary search?
01:02 Visualising a binary search
01:10 Binary search pseudocode
04:24 Binary search coded in Python
09:57 Efficiency of a binary search
10:57 Final thoughts
11:50 Key questions
12:07 Essential algorithms and data structures text book
12:56 Outro
Last updated: 14.04.25
