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Linear Search

Given an array of integers nums and a target value, return the index of the target if found, otherwise return -1.

Difficulty:

JavaScript Solution

function linearSearch(nums, target) {
  for (let i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
    if (nums[i] === target) return i;
  }
  return -1;
}

Explanation: We scan the array sequentially until the target is found.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

Java Solution

class Solution {
  public int linearSearch(int[] nums, int target) {
    for (int i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
      if (nums[i] == target) return i;
    }
    return -1;
  }
}

Explanation: Each element is checked one by one.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

Python Solution

def linear_search(nums, target):
    for i, val in enumerate(nums):
        if val == target:
            return i
    return -1

Explanation: We iterate through the list until the target value is found.

⏱ O(n) | 💾 O(1)

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Linear Search