Linear Search

Linear Search is a straightforward algorithm for finding a specific element in a list. It sequentially checks each element until the target is found or the list ends, making it simple and effective for unsorted data but inefficient for large datasets.

References

Cormen, T, Leiserson, C, Rivest, R, and Stein, C. (2001).
Introduction to Algorithms. (2nd ed). The MIT Press.

Source Code Listing

code.ts

// @file Linear Search
// @author Dustin Boston

export function linearSearch<T>(list: T[], target: T): number | undefined {
  for (const [index, element] of list.entries()) {
    if (element === target) {
      return index; // Target found, return the index.
    }
  }

  return undefined;
}

test.ts

import {test, expect, describe} from "bun:test";
import {linearSearch} from "./code.ts";

describe("Linear Search", () => {
  test("Found", () => {
    const a = [5, 2, 4, 6, 1, 3];
    const resultA = linearSearch(a, 6);
    expect(resultA).toBe(3);
  });

  test("Not Found", () => {
    const b = [31, 41, 59, 26, 41, 58];
    const resultB = linearSearch(b, 6);
    expect(resultB).toBeUndefined();
  });
});