Logarithmic Search with Binary Search
Binary Search locates an element in a sorted list in O(log N) time by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half. This is exponentially faster than linear O(N) scanning.
python Example
def binary_search(arr, target):
low, high = 0, len(arr) - 1
while low <= high:
mid = (low + high) // 2
if arr[mid] == target:
return mid
elif arr[mid] < target:
low = mid + 1
else:
high = mid - 1
return -1
numbers = [2, 5, 8, 12, 16, 23, 38, 56]
idx = binary_search(numbers, 23)
print(f"Target 23 found at index: {idx}")