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Linear Search Visualizer

Watch how Linear Search checks each element sequentially until the target is found or the array ends.

Time: O(n)
Space: O(1)
No Prerequisites
Sequential Access
0
45
1
23
2
78
3
12
4
67
5
34
6
89
7
56
8
23
9
91
Target: 23 | Comparisons: 0 | Step: 1 of 0

Current Step:

Click Start to begin Linear Search visualization

Linear Search

Time Complexity:O(n)
Space Complexity:O(1)
Best Case:O(1)
Worst Case:O(n)

Color Legend

Currently Checking
Target Found
Already Checked
Not Yet Checked

Python Implementation

def linear_search(arr, target):
    found_indices = []
    
    for i in range(len(arr)):
        if arr[i] == target:
            found_indices.append(i)
    
    return found_indices if found_indices else -1

# For finding first occurrence only:
def linear_search_first(arr, target):
    for i in range(len(arr)):
        if arr[i] == target:
            return i
    return -1

Real-world Applications

  • • Searching unsorted data collections
  • • Finding all occurrences of an element
  • • Small dataset searches where simplicity matters
  • • Searching linked lists (no random access)
  • • Finding patterns in text processing
  • • Initial validation and testing scenarios