Which of the following is correct recurrence relation for worst case of binary…

2018

Which of the following is correct recurrence relation for worst case of binary search?

  1. A.

    T(n) = 2T(n/2) + O(1)

    T(1) = T(0) = O(1)

  2. B.

    T(n) = T(n/2) + O(n)

    T(1) = T(0) = O(1)

  3. C.

    T(n) = T(n/2) + O(1)

    T(1) = T(0) = O(1)

  4. D.

    T(n) = T(n/2) + O(\log n)

    T(1) = T(0) = O(1)

Attempted by 87 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Binary search divides the input array into two halves at each step, making one recursive call on n/2 elements. The comparison operation takes constant time O(1). Thus, the worst-case recurrence relation is T(n) = T(n/2) + O(1).

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