Binary Search: Search a Sorted Array of Integers

Problem

Given a sorted array of integers, write a function called search() that accepts a value and returns the index where the value passed to the function is located. If the value is not found, return -1.
Example input: [1,2,3,4,5,6,7], 2
Example output: 1

Solution

This solution is in Python. Our A.I. can create solutions in multiple languages.

kayakane

def search(arr, val):
    # Binary search is the optimal solution for this problem.
    # It is optimal because it is a divide and conquer algorithm
    # that reduces the search space by half each time.
    # This means that the time complexity is O(log n)
    # The space complexity is O(1)
    low = 0
    high = len(arr) - 1
    while low <= high:
        mid = (low + high) // 2
        if arr[mid] == val:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < val:
            low = mid + 1
        else:
            high = mid - 1
    return -1

print(search([1,2,3,4,5,6,7], 2))