Exam-style question
Try this first
Trace this Python linear search for target = 5 and data = [8, 1, 5, 3]. State the values checked in order, the number of comparisons, and the result of the search. for index in range(len(data)): if data[index] == target: print(index) break.
Model answer
What a good answer should say
- The values checked are 8, then 1, then 5.
- The search makes 3 comparisons, prints 2, and stops because the target is found at zero-based index 2.
Explanation
Why this works
At index 0, 8 is not equal to 5. At index 1, 1 is not equal to 5.
At index 2, 5 matches the target, so 2 is printed and the break statement ends the search.
Common mistake
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