Binary Search: Finding That Needle in the Haystack 🧵

Binary search is like the 20 Questions game, but on steroids. 🔥 Instead of mindlessly scanning a list like a caveman (looking at you, linear search 🙄), you just cut the problem in half, over and over, until you win. It’s efficient, elegant, and honestly, a little addictive. ✂️

Why Binary Search is the GOAT 🐐

Every time I solve a LeetCode problem with binary search, I feel like a genius. Why? Because instead of looping through every single element (gross), I just:

Check the middle element.

If it’s what I’m looking for—boom, done. 🎯

If it’s too small, ignore the left half.

If it’s too big, ignore the right half.

Repeat until the answer practically hands itself over.

O(log n) time complexity? Yes, please.

The Binary Search Experience

It’s like being a detective, except instead of solving crimes, I’m hunting for a number hiding in a sorted list. 🔍 The best part? The worst-case scenario is still ridiculously fast compared to a brute-force search. Even in a list of a million elements, binary search finds the answer in at most 20 steps. 🤯

The Catch? Sorting is Required

Here’s the deal: binary search only works on sorted data. So, step one: sort your list. Step two: binary search. Step three: celebrate your O(log n) victory. 🎉

Honestly, once you start using binary search, there’s no going back. It’s clean, it’s powerful, and it makes you feel like you’ve hacked time itself. 🚀