This community-built FAQ covers the “Recursive Binary Search: Review and Refactor” exercise from the lesson “Binary Search: Python”.
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Search Algorithms
FAQs on the exercise Recursive Binary Search: Review and Refactor
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Will the use of pointers in this exercise improve the time complexity of the binary search algorithm?
If no, then what’s the point of using pointes here?
To save the space? Besides time complexity we have to think about space complexity.
def binary_search(sorted_list, left_pointer, right_pointer, target):
# this condition indicates we've reached an empty "sub-list"
if left_pointer >= right_pointer:
return "value not found"
# We calculate the middle index from the pointers now
mid_idx = (left_pointer + right_pointer) // 2
mid_val = sorted_list[mid_idx]
if mid_val == target:
return mid_idx
if mid_val > target:
# we reduce the sub-list by passing in a new right_pointer
return binary_search(sorted_list, left_pointer, mid_idx, target)
if mid_val < target:
# we reduce the sub-list by passing in a new left_pointer
return binary_search(sorted_list, mid_idx + 1, right_pointer, target)
In this code on performing a binary search with two pointers, I have a doubt on the line where we’re checking the condition, if left_pointer >= right_pointer for returning “value not found”. However, if left_pointer == right_pointer, doesn’t that mean we have one element in the list ?
I was confused by this too. Its because they call the algorithm with the right pointer being : right_pointer = len(sorted_list), which is unintuitive because if you called sorted_list[right_pointer] you would get an idex out of range error.
If they start the right_point as right_pointer=len(sorted_list) - 1 (which is an actual valid index) then you the line your questioning would be: if left_pointer > rigth_pointer:…
Hope that helps.
Hi, I don’t understand why when mid_val > target, we reset the right pointer to mid_idx instead of mid_idx - 1.
def binary_search(sorted_list, left_pointer, right_pointer, target):
# this condition indicates we've reached an empty "sub-list"
if left_pointer >= right_pointer:
return "value not found"
# We calculate the middle index from the pointers now
mid_idx = (left_pointer + right_pointer) // 2
mid_val = sorted_list[mid_idx]
if mid_val == target:
return mid_idx
if mid_val > target:
# we reduce the sub-list by passing in a new right_pointer
return binary_search(sorted_list, left_pointer, mid_idx, target)
if mid_val < target:
# we reduce the sub-list by passing in a new left_pointer
return binary_search(sorted_list, mid_idx + 1, right_pointer, target)
values = [77, 80, 102, 123, 288, 300, 540]
start_of_values = 0
end_of_values = len(values)
result = binary_search(values, start_of_values, end_of_values, 288)
print("element {0} is located at index {1}".format(288, result))
