Sequential Search
Sequential search, also known as linear search, is a fundamental algorithm for finding a target value within a list or array by checking each element in order until the target is found or the list ends. It is a simple, brute-force approach that does not require the data to be sorted, making it applicable to any collection. The algorithm operates in O(n) time complexity in the worst case, where n is the number of elements, as it may need to examine every item.
Developers should learn sequential search as a foundational algorithm for understanding basic search techniques and algorithm analysis, especially in introductory computer science or programming courses. It is useful in scenarios where data is unsorted or small in size, such as searching through a short list of user inputs or when implementing simple lookup functions in scripts. However, for large datasets, more efficient algorithms like binary search are preferred due to better performance.