#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
Pure Python implementations of binary search algorithms
For doctests run the following command:
python3 -m doctest -v binary_search.py
For manual testing run:
python3 binary_search.py
"""
import bisect
from itertools import pairwise
def bisect_left(
sorted_collection: list[int], item: int, lo: int = 0, hi: int = -1
) -> int:
"""
Locates the first element in a sorted array that is larger or equal to a given
value.
It has the same interface as
https://docs.python.org/3/library/bisect.html#bisect.bisect_left .
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item to bisect
:param lo: lowest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:param hi: past the highest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:return: index i such that all values in sorted_collection[lo:i] are < item and all
values in sorted_collection[i:hi] are >= item.
Examples:
>>> bisect_left([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
0
>>> bisect_left([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6)
2
>>> bisect_left([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 20)
5
>>> bisect_left([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15, 1, 3)
3
>>> bisect_left([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6, 2)
2
"""
if hi < 0:
hi = len(sorted_collection)
while lo < hi:
mid = lo + (hi - lo) // 2
if sorted_collection[mid] < item:
lo = mid + 1
else:
hi = mid
return lo
def bisect_right(
sorted_collection: list[int], item: int, lo: int = 0, hi: int = -1
) -> int:
"""
Locates the first element in a sorted array that is larger than a given value.
It has the same interface as
https://docs.python.org/3/library/bisect.html#bisect.bisect_right .
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item to bisect
:param lo: lowest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:param hi: past the highest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:return: index i such that all values in sorted_collection[lo:i] are <= item and
all values in sorted_collection[i:hi] are > item.
Examples:
>>> bisect_right([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
1
>>> bisect_right([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15)
5
>>> bisect_right([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6)
2
>>> bisect_right([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15, 1, 3)
3
>>> bisect_right([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6, 2)
2
"""
if hi < 0:
hi = len(sorted_collection)
while lo < hi:
mid = lo + (hi - lo) // 2
if sorted_collection[mid] <= item:
lo = mid + 1
else:
hi = mid
return lo
def insort_left(
sorted_collection: list[int], item: int, lo: int = 0, hi: int = -1
) -> None:
"""
Inserts a given value into a sorted array before other values with the same value.
It has the same interface as
https://docs.python.org/3/library/bisect.html#bisect.insort_left .
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item to insert
:param lo: lowest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:param hi: past the highest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
Examples:
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_left(sorted_collection, 6)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15]
>>> sorted_collection = [(0, 0), (5, 5), (7, 7), (10, 10), (15, 15)]
>>> item = (5, 5)
>>> insort_left(sorted_collection, item)
>>> sorted_collection
[(0, 0), (5, 5), (5, 5), (7, 7), (10, 10), (15, 15)]
>>> item is sorted_collection[1]
True
>>> item is sorted_collection[2]
False
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_left(sorted_collection, 20)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20]
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_left(sorted_collection, 15, 1, 3)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 7, 15, 10, 15]
"""
sorted_collection.insert(bisect_left(sorted_collection, item, lo, hi), item)
def insort_right(
sorted_collection: list[int], item: int, lo: int = 0, hi: int = -1
) -> None:
"""
Inserts a given value into a sorted array after other values with the same value.
It has the same interface as
https://docs.python.org/3/library/bisect.html#bisect.insort_right .
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item to insert
:param lo: lowest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
:param hi: past the highest index to consider (as in sorted_collection[lo:hi])
Examples:
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_right(sorted_collection, 6)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 6, 7, 10, 15]
>>> sorted_collection = [(0, 0), (5, 5), (7, 7), (10, 10), (15, 15)]
>>> item = (5, 5)
>>> insort_right(sorted_collection, item)
>>> sorted_collection
[(0, 0), (5, 5), (5, 5), (7, 7), (10, 10), (15, 15)]
>>> item is sorted_collection[1]
False
>>> item is sorted_collection[2]
True
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_right(sorted_collection, 20)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20]
>>> sorted_collection = [0, 5, 7, 10, 15]
>>> insort_right(sorted_collection, 15, 1, 3)
>>> sorted_collection
[0, 5, 7, 15, 10, 15]
"""
sorted_collection.insert(bisect_right(sorted_collection, item, lo, hi), item)
def binary_search(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> int:
"""Pure implementation of a binary search algorithm in Python
Be careful collection must be ascending sorted otherwise, the result will be
unpredictable
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item value to search
:return: index of the found item or -1 if the item is not found.
If there are multiple occurrences of the item, returns the index
of the leftmost occurrence.
Examples:
>>> binary_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
0
>>> binary_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15)
4
>>> binary_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 5)
1
>>> binary_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6)
-1
>>> binary_search([1, 2, 4, 4, 4, 6, 7], 4)
2
>>> binary_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 10, 10], 10)
3
"""
if any(a > b for a, b in pairwise(sorted_collection)):
raise ValueError("sorted_collection must be sorted in ascending order")
left = 0
right = len(sorted_collection) - 1
result = -1
while left <= right:
midpoint = left + (right - left) // 2
current_item = sorted_collection[midpoint]
if current_item == item:
result = (
midpoint # Found the item, but continue to find leftmost occurrence
)
right = midpoint - 1 # Look for more occurrences on the left
elif item < current_item:
right = midpoint - 1
else:
left = midpoint + 1
return result
def binary_search_std_lib(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> int:
"""Pure implementation of a binary search algorithm in Python using stdlib
Be careful collection must be ascending sorted otherwise, the result will be
unpredictable
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item value to search
:return: index of the found item or -1 if the item is not found
Examples:
>>> binary_search_std_lib([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
0
>>> binary_search_std_lib([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15)
4
>>> binary_search_std_lib([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 5)
1
>>> binary_search_std_lib([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6)
-1
"""
if list(sorted_collection) != sorted(sorted_collection):
raise ValueError("sorted_collection must be sorted in ascending order")
index = bisect.bisect_left(sorted_collection, item)
if index != len(sorted_collection) and sorted_collection[index] == item:
return index
return -1
def binary_search_with_duplicates(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> list[int]:
"""Pure implementation of a binary search algorithm in Python that supports
duplicates.
Resources used:
https://stackoverflow.com/questions/13197552/using-binary-search-with-sorted-array-with-duplicates
The collection must be sorted in ascending order; otherwise the result will be
unpredictable. If the target appears multiple times, this function returns a
list of all indexes where the target occurs. If the target is not found,
this function returns an empty list.
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item value to search for
:return: a list of indexes where the item is found (empty list if not found)
Examples:
>>> binary_search_with_duplicates([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
[0]
>>> binary_search_with_duplicates([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15)
[4]
>>> binary_search_with_duplicates([1, 2, 2, 2, 3], 2)
[1, 2, 3]
>>> binary_search_with_duplicates([1, 2, 2, 2, 3], 4)
[]
"""
if list(sorted_collection) != sorted(sorted_collection):
raise ValueError("sorted_collection must be sorted in ascending order")
def lower_bound(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> int:
"""
Returns the index of the first element greater than or equal to the item.
:param sorted_collection: The sorted list to search.
:param item: The item to find the lower bound for.
:return: The index where the item can be inserted while maintaining order.
"""
left = 0
right = len(sorted_collection)
while left < right:
midpoint = left + (right - left) // 2
current_item = sorted_collection[midpoint]
if current_item < item:
left = midpoint + 1
else:
right = midpoint
return left
def upper_bound(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> int:
"""
Returns the index of the first element strictly greater than the item.
:param sorted_collection: The sorted list to search.
:param item: The item to find the upper bound for.
:return: The index where the item can be inserted after all existing instances.
"""
left = 0
right = len(sorted_collection)
while left < right:
midpoint = left + (right - left) // 2
current_item = sorted_collection[midpoint]
if current_item <= item:
left = midpoint + 1
else:
right = midpoint
return left
left = lower_bound(sorted_collection, item)
right = upper_bound(sorted_collection, item)
if left == len(sorted_collection) or sorted_collection[left] != item:
return []
return list(range(left, right))
def binary_search_by_recursion(
sorted_collection: list[int], item: int, left: int = 0, right: int = -1
) -> int:
"""Pure implementation of a binary search algorithm in Python by recursion
Be careful collection must be ascending sorted otherwise, the result will be
unpredictable
First recursion should be started with left=0 and right=(len(sorted_collection)-1)
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item value to search
:return: index of the found item or -1 if the item is not found.
If there are multiple occurrences of the item, returns the index
of the leftmost occurrence.
Examples:
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0, 0, 4)
0
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15, 0, 4)
4
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 5, 0, 4)
1
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6, 0, 4)
-1
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([1, 2, 4, 4, 4, 6, 7], 4, 0, 6)
2
>>> binary_search_by_recursion([0, 5, 7, 10, 10, 10], 10, 0, 5)
3
"""
if right < 0:
right = len(sorted_collection) - 1
if list(sorted_collection) != sorted(sorted_collection):
raise ValueError("sorted_collection must be sorted in ascending order")
# Helper function for the binary search
def _binary_search_recursive(left_idx: int, right_idx: int) -> int:
if right_idx < left_idx:
return -1
midpoint = left_idx + (right_idx - left_idx) // 2
current_item = sorted_collection[midpoint]
if current_item == item:
# Found the item, now find the leftmost occurrence
# First, recursively find any occurrence to the left
leftmost = _binary_search_recursive(left_idx, midpoint - 1)
return leftmost if leftmost != -1 else midpoint
elif item < current_item:
return _binary_search_recursive(left_idx, midpoint - 1)
else:
return _binary_search_recursive(midpoint + 1, right_idx)
return _binary_search_recursive(left, right)
def exponential_search(sorted_collection: list[int], item: int) -> int:
"""Pure implementation of an exponential search algorithm in Python
Resources used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exponential_search
Be careful collection must be ascending sorted otherwise, result will be
unpredictable
:param sorted_collection: some ascending sorted collection with comparable items
:param item: item value to search
:return: index of the found item or -1 if the item is not found
the order of this algorithm is O(lg I) where I is index position of item if exist
Examples:
>>> exponential_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 0)
0
>>> exponential_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 15)
4
>>> exponential_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 5)
1
>>> exponential_search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 6)
-1
"""
if list(sorted_collection) != sorted(sorted_collection):
raise ValueError("sorted_collection must be sorted in ascending order")
bound = 1
while bound < len(sorted_collection) and sorted_collection[bound] < item:
bound *= 2
left = bound // 2
right = min(bound, len(sorted_collection) - 1)
last_result = binary_search_by_recursion(
sorted_collection=sorted_collection, item=item, left=left, right=right
)
if last_result is None:
return -1
return last_result
searches = ( # Fastest to slowest...
binary_search_std_lib,
binary_search,
exponential_search,
binary_search_by_recursion,
)
if __name__ == "__main__":
import doctest
import timeit
doctest.testmod()
for search in searches:
name = f"{search.__name__:>26}"
print(f"{name}: {search([0, 5, 7, 10, 15], 10) = }") # type: ignore[operator]
print("\nBenchmarks...")
setup = "collection = range(1000)"
for search in searches:
name = search.__name__
print(
f"{name:>26}:",
timeit.timeit(
f"{name}(collection, 500)", setup=setup, number=5_000, globals=globals()
),
)
user_input = input("\nEnter numbers separated by comma: ").strip()
collection = sorted(int(item) for item in user_input.split(","))
target = int(input("Enter a single number to be found in the list: "))
result = binary_search(sorted_collection=collection, item=target)
if result == -1:
print(f"{target} was not found in {collection}.")
else:
print(f"{target} was found at position {result} of {collection}.")
Given a sorted array of n elements, write a function to search for the index of a given element (target)
O(log n) Worst Case
O(1) Best Case (If middle element of initial array is the target element)
O(1) For iterative approach
O(1) For recursive approach if tail call optimization is used, O(log n) due to recursion call stack, otherwise
arr = [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
target = 2
Initially the element at middle index is 4 which is greater than 2. Therefore we search the left half of the
array i.e. [1,2,3].
Here we find the middle element equal to target element so we return its index i.e. 1
target = 9
A simple Binary Search implementation may return -1 as 9 is not present in the array. A more complex one would return the index at which 9 would have to be inserted, which would be `-8` (last position in the array (7) plus one (7+1), negated)`.
A CS50 video explaining the Binary Search Algorithm