Evaluating the Time Efficiency of the Modified Linear Search Algorithm

In this study, a comparative analysis of three search algorithms is carried out. Two of the algorithms; the linear and binary are popular search methods, while the third, 'The Bilinear Search Algorithm' is a newly introduced one; A modified linear search algorithm that combines some features in linear and binary search algorithms to produce a better performing one. These three algorithms are simulated using seventeen randomly generated data sets to compare their time efficiency. A c_Sharp (C#) code is used to achieve this by generating some random numbers and implementing their working algorithms. The internal clock of the computer is set to monitor the time durations of their computations. The result shows that the linear search performs better than the binary search. This agrees with the existing assertion that when a data set is small and the time complexity of sorting method added, the linear search performs better than the binary search. The bilinear search however, proves to be the most efficient of them all as its time efficiency at all levels of the data sets proves to be better than both the linear and binary search algorithms.