149. OCR A Level (H046-H446) SLR25 – 2.3 Implement linear search

About this video

OCR Specification Reference
AS Level 2.3.1d
A Level 2.3.1f

An alternative to the binary search, the linear search methodically checks each item in a list until the one you are looking for is found. This video introduces the algorithm. It is usually less efficient than a binary search, unless the item you are looking for is towards the start of the list.

Key questions:

- Can you successfully implement a linear search in a high-level programming language of your choice?
- Do you understand how a linear search works, and can you trace its code to explain how it works?

00:00 Implement a linear search
00:08 Intro
00:13 Checklist
00:38 What is the linear search algorithm?
01:15 What are the applications of a linear search?
01:39 Visualising a linear search
01:48 Linear search pseudocode
03:42 Linear search coded in python
07:11 Final thoughts
11:51 Key questions
12:11 Essential algorithms for A Level Computer Science text book
13:15 Outro

Last updated: 27.07.26

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